ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

GM Crops

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on GM crops; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: Defra Ministers have not had any recent discussions with the European Commission on GM crop issues, except in the context of the general discussions held with all EU Environment Ministers at EU Council meetings.

Kyoto Protocols

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the prospects for the Kyoto protocols being adhered to in the long term.

Elliot Morley: The UK Government and the EU remain committed to the framework set out by the Kyoto protocol. It remains crucially important, as the first ever legally binding framework, to set quantified emissions reductions for developed countries. The UK Government and the EU want to build on the Kyoto protocol and its key elements such as targets and timetables, monitoring and reporting, compliance and the flexibility mechanisms for the period after 2012.
	In addition, on the basis of the European Commission's communication "Winning the battle against global climate change" (February 2005) the European Council of Ministers concluded that the EU's future climate change strategy should:
	(a) Strive at the widest possible cooperation by all countries;
	(b) Include all important greenhouse gases, sectors and mitigation options;
	(c) Drive technological innovation, employing an optimal mix of "push" and "pull" policies, in particular in the transport and energy sector;
	(d) Promote the transfer of technologies to appropriate markets;
	(e) Provide for the continued use of market-based and flexible instruments, and;
	(f) Support the adaptation to unavoidable climate change in all countries, particularly in the most vulnerable developing countries.
	However, the UNFCCC remains the place to agree on future frameworks.

Water Management

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what long-term planning to take account of (a) climate change and (b) development of new water resources is (i) in place and (ii) planned in order to tackle the risk of water shortages.

Elliot Morley: The Environment Agency is the statutory body with a duty to manage water resources in England and Wales. As part of the agency's management role it has national and regional water resource strategies which set out the pressures over the next 25 years.
	Water companies have duties to maintain adequate supplies of water. They have 25 year water resource plans which complement the agency strategies and seek to reconcile supply with anticipated demand. The Environment Agency issues guidance to water companies on how the implications of climate change should be factored in to their water resource plans. The plans are assessed by the Environment Agency and reviewed annually. They are produced voluntarily at present but will become a statutory requirement under the provisions of the Water Act 2003.
	Each water company also has a drought plan which sets out how the company will continue to meet its duties to supply adequate quantities of wholesome water during drought periods with as little recourse as possible to drought orders and permits. These too are produced voluntarily at present but regulations are now in place making their production a statutory requirement as part of the implementation of the Water Act 2003.

WALES

Departmental Estate

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the total floor space area is of buildings (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office has no agencies. It owns one building with total floor space of just under 500 square metres and leases premises of 637 square metres.

Departmental Stationery

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether his Department has joined the Watermark project.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003, the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). DCA is a member of the Watermark Project. Details can be found on the DCA website: www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm

Departmental Stationery

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports, in each case stating (i) the name of each paper used and (ii) the (A) recycled and (B) post-consumer recycled content of each paper.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It uses the DCA contract with Office Depot for copier paper, stationery, and envelopes. Figures are held for the consumption of recycled paper by the DCA as a whole, but information for the Wales Office could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Water and Sewerage

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the annual spending by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies on water and sewerage services has been in each year since 1997.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office was established July 1999. The Wales Office installed a water meter in June 2003. A settlement figure of £3,561 was paid on installation for usage from July 1999 to June 2003.
	Since then, spend on water and sewage has been:
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
		
		
			 2003–04 (1)830.93 
			 2004–05 865.05 
			 (1) From June only.  
		
	
	Figures for financial year 2005–06 will be available in April 2006.

Departmental Water and Sewerage

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales at which non-office sites on his estates he has identified opportunities for significant water savings.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office does not have any non-office sites.

Out-of-hours GP Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Government on the cross-border implications of improvements to the out-of-hours GP services in Wales.

Peter Hain: I regularly meet with the Health Minister and we discuss a range of health issues. The National Assembly for Wales in conjunction with Local Health Boards are monitoring the performance of providers and look for continual performance improvement.
	Patients are treated by the clinician best equipped to meet their needs in the most appropriate location, regardless of where they are resident.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements his Department has to report publicly on its key sustainable development impacts.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). We have adopted the DCA corporate policy for Sustainable Development, which is published on the DCA website.
	www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what parts of his Department's estate will not be covered by the commitments set out in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It is a small department, having only one building in London, but lease office space in Cardiff. It is fully covered by the commitments outlined in the DCA's Sustainable Development Policy, which is on the DCA website.
	www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.

Sustainable Development

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what steps have been taken by his Department to review its arrangements for public reporting of its sustainable development impacts.

Nick Ainger: In June 2003 the Wales Office became a separate entity within the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA). It adopts DCA's Framework on Sustainable Development, which provides for yearly reporting. Further details are on the DCA website.
	www.dca.gov.uk/dept/sustaindev/sustaindev.htm.

Video Conferencing

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many video conferencing units are installed in (a) his Department and (b) each agency of the Department; what percentage of offices have these facilities in each case; and what plans there are to increase the number of such facilities.

Nick Ainger: The Wales Office has two video conference units, one in the Cardiff office and one in the London office. There are no plans to increase the number of such facilities.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list each constituency which contains a proportion of the 0.2 per cent. of telephone lines in England which cannot at present get broadband.

Alun Michael: holding answer 20 October 2005
	The information is not available in the form requested.

Regional Industrial Development Boards

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2005, Official Report, column 1063W, on regional industrial development boards, what the budget of each board was in each year of their operation.

Alun Michael: The question is based on a misapprehension. Boards are not allocated a budget. Details of the regional spend dealt with by the Boards can be found in the Industrial Development Act 1982 Annual Report which is available in the Libraries of the House.

Telephone Nuisance

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors are affecting the timing of the publication by Ofcom of new guidance on reducing the level of telephone nuisance from predictive diallers.

Alun Michael: The timing of any announcement is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom is the independent regulator for the communications sector, deriving its main powers and duties directly from statute rather than by delegation from the Secretary of State, and accountable to Parliament in its own right. My officials have asked the Chief Executive Officer of Ofcom to reply to the hon. Member and to send me a copy for his response. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Telephone Nuisance

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will press Ofcom to use its powers to prevent silent calls.

Alun Michael: I am confident that the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the independent regulator for the communications sector, will do everything in its power to prevent silent calls. Ofcom derives its main powers and duties directly from statute rather than by delegation from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, so it is accountable to Parliament in its own right. The Government take the issue of silent calls very seriously because of the distress they cause to consumers. My officials are in regular contact with Ofcom and encourage us to use its powers effectively to the fullest extent.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

School Leavers (Basic Skills)

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures her Department is taking to improve the standard of basic skills of school leavers.

Jacqui Smith: A grounding in functional skills is essential. The 14–19 Education and Skills White Paper set out our plans to toughen GCSEs so that no-one can get a higher grade in English and maths without achieving mastery of the functional basics. We are also introducing a general diploma to recognise those who achieve five good GCSEs or equivalent, including English and maths. Functional English and maths will be a core element of our new specialised diplomas.

Classroom Assistants

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many classroom assistants were employed in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) England in (i) January 1997 and (ii) January 2005.

Jacqui Smith: In January 1997 there were 1,300 teaching assistants employed in the Nottinghamshire area. This number had increased to 3,100 by January 2005. The equivalent figures for England were 60,600 in 1997 and 148,500 in 2005.

Post-16 Funding

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the difference in funding levels between school sixth forms and post-16 provision in further education.

Jeremy Browne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the differences between the funding formulas for colleges and school sixth forms.

Phil Hope: We have acknowledged that despite significant investment in Further Education and a narrowing of the difference between funding rates, there remains a funding gap between school sixth forms and colleges. We have been clear that continuing progress on narrowing the gap will not be easy and will depend on the resources available. However, we are committed to exploring the scope for addressing the technical anomalies between the school sixth form and further education funding systems and will set out the way forward in the near future.

GCSE Mathematics Results

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the 2004–05 GCSE mathematics results.

Ruth Kelly: Provisional 2005 results show that the percentage of pupils achieving A*-C grades in maths GCSE increased by 2 percentage points to 52 percent.—the biggest increase since 1997. That means that around 53,000 more pupils are now achieving a good pass in maths than did so in 1997.
	These results represent excellent progress. But we recognise there is further to go and that is why we are continuing to push for even higher standards in the basics.

Teacher Training (PE)

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to improve teacher training for physical education.

Jacqui Smith: The Training and Development Agency for Schools has put in hand a three year programme to improve the quality of initial teacher training for physical education. It has engaged Liverpool John Moores university—the leading provider of PE teacher training—to work with the British Association of Advisors and Lecturers in PE and the Physical Education Association to identify good practice in the training of PE teachers and to disseminate this to other providers. This programme will be completed by March 2007.

Part-time Students

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on financial support for part-time students.

Bill Rammell: Part-time undergraduate provision is important to hundreds of thousands of individual students and to the economic success of this country. We are determined to see the vibrant part-time sector sustained. From 2006, the maximum available support available to low-income part-time students to help them meet the cost of tuition fees will increase by 27 percent. from £885 to £1,125. Resource from the access to learning fund will increase from £3 million to £12 million to provide still greater additional fee support and general hardship support for students in the most challenging financial circumstances.

Sure Start

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to extend the Sure Start programme.

Beverley Hughes: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts).

Sure Start

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  in how many local Sure Start programmes are (a) 0 to 5, (b) 6 to 10, (c) 11 to 15, (d) 16 to 20, (e) 21 to 25, (f) 26 to 30, (g) 31 to 35, (h) 36 to 40, (i) 41 to 45, (j) 46 to 50 and (k) 50 and over per cent. of registered children were attending at least one Sure Start activity per month on the latest available date;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the performance of each local Sure Start programme in reaching new families and children in the relevant local area;
	(3)  how many Sure Start local programmes are using a centralised database to collect information on (a) new babies and (b) new families in the local area.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start local programmes are expected to visit all new babies in their area within the first two months of their life. However, we do not expect programmes to see every child and family each month. On average we would expect fully operational programmes to see over a quarter of children living in their area, with 20 per cent. of these being new children.
	Sure Start local programmes are not required to collect data on the percentage of children attending at least one Sure Start activity per month.
	Each Sure Start local programme is required to submit an annual data return which includes figures for families and children reached during one specified month within the year. At March 2005 the national average for children aged under four seen by local programmes was 23 per cent. of which 13 per cent. were new children.
	Sure Start local programmes are not required to use a centralised database to collect information on new babies and new families in the local area. Some Sure Start local programmes have formal data sharing arrangements with local health trusts, but local programmes also access a variety of sources for gathering data on new babies and new families from schools, health visitors, midwives, parent support networks and outreach work with local community organisations.
	Each Sure Start local programme is expected to carry out an evaluation of its services, including whether they are reaching all local children, and to improve their working practices and processes where appropriate.

Selective Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the merits of selective education; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: If all local education authority areas returned the same value added as selective local education authority areas, the average results would improve by the equivalent of about one and a half grades in one subject at GCSE.
	However, this calculation does not take account of the different characteristics of pupils educated in different LEAs. The Government's position on selection is clear. It is socially divisive, we do not support it and we do not wish to see it extended.

Further Education

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils aged 16 to 18 have been educated in (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth forms in schools, in England since 2000, broken down by local authority.

Bill Rammell: pursuant to the reply, 10 October 2005, Official Report, c. 344W
	The accompanying tables contained an error—the columns were transposed and incorrectly labelled.
	
		Participation in full-time education of 16 and 17-year-olds by local authority in England, end 2000 onwards -- Number
		
			  School sixth forms (including independent) FE colleges (including sixth form colleges)(1) 
			  2000 2001 2002 2003(2) 2000 2001 2002 2003(2) 
		
		
			 North East 16,000 16,800 17,000 17,100 23,200 23,600 24,000 24,100 
			 Hartlepool 300 300 300 300 1,300 1,200 1,200 1,300 
			 Middlesbrough 300 300 300 400 2,300 2,300 2,200 2,300 
			 Redcar and Cleveland — 100 100 100 2,100 2,100 2,100 2,300 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 700 800 800 800 2,600 2,600 2,600 2,600 
			 Darlington 200 300 200 200 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,400 
			 Durham 3,200 3,500 3,400 3,400 3,900 4,000 4,000 3,900 
			 Northumberland 3,700 3,800 3,800 3,800 1,400 1,300 1,300 1,300 
			 Gateshead 1,700 1,600 1,600 1,600 1,100 1,400 1,400 1,400 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 2,900 3,000 3,100 3,200 1,100 1,200 1,100 1,100 
			 North Tyneside 1,500 1,700 1,700 1,700 1,400 1,400 1,400 1,500 
			 South Tyneside 300 300 400 400 1,700 1,900 2,200 2,100 
			 Sunderland 1,000 1,200 1,300 1,300 2,900 3,000 3,100 3,100 
			 North West 39,800 40,500 41,000 41,200 68,800 70,900 73,900 74,800 
			 Halton 500 500 400 400 1,400 1,500 1,800 2,000 
			 Warrington 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,800 1,800 1,900 2,000 
			 Cheshire 6,500 6,300 6,400 6,500 5,000 5,200 5,400 5,100 
			 Cumbria 4,600 4,800 4,700 4,800 2,900 3,100 3,000 3,100 
			 Bolton 1,800 1,800 2,000 2,000 2,800 2,700 2,700 2,800 
			 Bury 500 600 600 600 2,500 2,700 2,800 2,800 
			 Manchester 2,000 2,000 2,100 2,200 4,800 5,000 5,500 5,600 
			 Oldham 1,200 900 900 900 2,800 2,900 3,000 3,000 
			 Rochdale 800 1,000 900 900 2,200 2,200 2,400 2,500 
			 Salford 100 200 200 200 2,400 2,600 2,800 2,800 
			 Stockport 600 700 800 800 4,100 4,000 4,100 4,100 
			 Tameside 300 300 300 300 2,900 3,100 3,100 3,200 
			 Trafford 1,700 1,600 1,600 1,700 1,800 1,800 2,000 2,100 
			 Wigan 500 600 600 500 3,800 3,900 4,100 4,100 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 600 700 700 700 2,000 2,100 2,200 2,200 
			 Blackpool 300 400 400 400 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,700 
			 Lancashire 4,800 5,100 5,000 5,100 13,300 13,300 13,700 13,900 
			 Knowsley 300 700 700 700 1,800 1,900 1,900 1,900 
			 Liverpool 4,300 4,300 4,500 4,500 2,500 2,700 2,800 2,900 
			 St. Helens 1,000 900 900 900 1,900 1,900 2,000 2,000 
			 Sefton 2,600 2,300 2,400 2,300 2,900 2,900 2,900 3,000 
			 Wirral 3,400 3,500 3,600 3,700 1,900 2,100 2,000 2,100 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 34,700 35,500 36,100 36,600 40,400 42,200 43,200 44,000 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 2,900 2,900 2,900 3,000 2,200 2,200 2,400 2,500 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 500 700 700 700 2,700 3,000 3,100 3,400 
			 North East Lincolnshire 400 500 500 500 2,100 2,200 2,300 2,300 
			 North Lincolnshire 300 300 300 300 2,300 2,300 2,400 2,500 
			 York 1,200 1,400 1,300 1,400 1,600 1,700 1,600 1,600 
			 North Yorkshire 6,100 5,700 5,800 5,900 3,500 4,300 4,100 4,200 
			 Barnsley 300 400 400 400 2,400 2,500 2,500 2,600 
			 Doncaster 2,600 2,600 2,700 2,800 1,700 1,700 1,800 1,700 
			 Rotherham 1,800 1,500 1,500 1,500 2,300 2,300 2,400 2,400 
			 Sheffield 2,100 2,500 2,600 2,800 4,200 4,100 4,300 4,600 
			 Bradford 5,200 5,900 5,800 5,900 2,600 2,600 2,800 2,700 
			 Calderdale 2,000 2,000 2,100 2,100 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,100 
			 Kirklees 1,700 1,800 1,700 1,600 4,500 4,600 4,600 4,600 
			 Leeds 6,000 5,700 5,900 6,000 4,100 4,400 4,600 4,700 
			 Wakefield 1,700 1,700 1,800 1,700 3,100 3,200 3,200 3,200 
			  
			 East Midlands 35,600 36,200 36,700 37,700 28,300 30,200 31,000 31,300 
			 Derby 1,500 1,600 1,700 1,700 1,900 1,800 1,800 1,800 
			 Derbyshire 5,700 5,900 5,900 6,000 4,400 5,100 5,300 5,400 
			 Leicester 1,000 1,300 1,400 1,500 3,900 4,100 4,200 4,300 
			 Rutland 600 700 700 700 400 400 400 400 
			 Leicestershire 7,000 6,900 6,800 7,100 3,300 3,400 3,500 3,500 
			 Lincolnshire 5,800 5,600 5,500 5,800 4,000 4,500 4,500 4,500 
			 Northamptonshire 6,600 6,700 6,900 6,900 3,300 3,500 3,600 3,900 
			 Nottingham 1,100 1,300 1,400 1,500 2,600 2,700 2,700 2,600 
			 Nottinghamshire 6,200 6,200 6,300 6,400 4,500 4,800 5,000 5,100 
			  
			 West Midlands 39,100 40,100 40,700 41,700 46,600 47,300 48,700 49,400 
			 Herefordshire 600 700 700 600 2,000 2,100 2,100 2,200 
			 Worcestershire 5,300 5,300 5,300 5,600 4,300 4,400 4,500 4,600 
			 Telford and Wrekin 800 600 700 700 1,900 1,900 2,000 2,000 
			 Shropshire 2,000 2,000 2,000 1,900 3,000 2,900 3,000 3,200 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 300 500 500 500 2,900 2,800 2,800 2,800 
			 Staffordshire 7,500 7,600 7,700 7,900 5,600 5,800 5,600 5,800 
			 Warwickshire 4,200 4,200 4,300 4,500 4,000 4,000 4,200 4,200 
			 Birmingham 7,500 7,700 7,800 7,800 9,600 9,900 10,200 10,000 
			 Coventry 3,000 3,100 3,200 3,300 1,900 1,900 2,000 1,900 
			 Dudley 400 600 600 600 3,700 3,700 4,000 4,100 
			 Sandwell 1,000 1,200 1,300 1,500 2,800 2,900 3,100 3,000 
			 Solihull 1,300 1,200 1,200 1,200 2,300 2,400 2,500 2,400 
			 Walsall 2,700 2,800 2,700 2,700 1,500 1,400 1,500 1,600 
			 Wolverhampton 2,500 2,700 2,700 2,800 1,200 1,200 1,400 1,500 
			  
			 East of England 48,100 49,000 49,800 49,800 38,700 38,300 40,100 41,900 
			 Luton 200 400 400 500 2,900 2,800 3,100 3,100 
			 Bedfordshire 4,800 4,900 5,100 5,000 1,700 1,800 2,000 2,100 
			 Peterborough 2,000 1,700 1,700 1,600 800 800 900 900 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,700 4,100 4,200 4,100 5,200 5,300 5,300 5,600 
			 Southend-on-Sea 1,400 1,200 1,300 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,200 1,200 
			 Thurrock — 100 100 100 1,800 1,900 1,900 2,000 
			 Essex 9,100 10,000 10,000 10,000 10,800 10,400 10,900 11,300 
			 Hertfordshire 14,400 13,700 14,200 14,500 5,600 5,300 5,300 5,400 
			 Norfolk 5,500 5,800 5,700 5,600 5,500 5,400 5,800 6,100 
			 Suffolk 6,900 7,100 7,000 7,000 3,300 3,600 3,800 4,100 
			 Greater London 58,700 62,300 63,900 67,100 54,700 56,200 59,200 59,800 
			 Inner London 17,100 18,600 19,000 19,800 21,800 22,500 23,900 24,100 
			 Outer London 41,700 43,700 44,900 47,300 32,900 33,600 35,200 35,800 
			 Barking and Dagenham 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,400 1,000 1,000 1,100 1,200 
			 Barnet 4,100 3,800 3,900 4,100 1,800 1,900 1,900 1,900 
			 Bexley 2,000 2,100 2,200 2,400 1,300 1,400 1,400 1,400 
			 Brent 2,300 2,800 2,900 3,200 2,100 2,200 2,300 2,200 
			 Bromley 4,100 3,800 3,900 4,000 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,100 
			 Croydon 2,300 2,700 3,000 3,200 3,300 3,300 3,500 3,600 
			 Ealing 2,300 3,200 3,300 3,400 2,300 2,200 2,300 2,300 
			 Enfield 3,000 3,100 3,000 3,100 2,000 2,000 2,300 2,300 
			 Enfield 3,000 3,100 3,000 3,100 2,000 2,000 2,300 2,300 
			 Greenwich 1,700 2,000 2,100 2,300 1,400 1,400 1,400 1,500 
			 Harrow 800 2,000 2,100 2,200 2,700 2,800 2,800 2,800 
			 Havering 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,100 2,600 2,600 2,700 2,700 
			 Hillingdon 2,900 2,800 2,800 2,800 1,300 1,400 1,600 1,600 
			 Hounslow 2,800 2,100 2,200 2,200 1,400 1,500 1,500 1,500 
			 Kingston upon Thames 1,900 1,600 1,600 1,800 900 900 900 900 
			 Merton 900 1,300 1,400 1,400 1,500 1,400 1,500 1,600 
			 Redbridge 4,100 3,600 3,500 3,700 1,200 1,400 1,400 1,400 
			 Richmond upon Thames 1,000 1,300 1,300 1,400 1,400 1,500 1,500 1,600 
			 Sutton 2,600 2,000 2,100 2,200 1,000 900 1,000 1,000 
			 Waltham Forest 800 1,300 1,300 1,300 2,600 2,700 2,900 3,000 
			  
			 South East 70,200 70,700 71,800 73,200 63,200 64,700 67,000 69,200 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,300 1,400 1,400 1,400 700 700 700 800 
			 Reading 1,400 1,500 1,500 1,500 700 800 800 700 
			 Slough 1,100 1,100 1,100 1,200 800 900 1,100 1,000 
			 West Berkshire 2,600 2,300 2,200 2,300 600 600 700 600 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 2,200 2,100 2,200 2,300 600 600 600 500 
			 Wokingham 1,900 2,000 2,100 2,300 800 900 900 800 
			 Milton Keynes 1,900 2,400 2,400 2,500 800 1,000 1,200 1,300 
			 Buckinghamshire 6,600 6,400 6,700 6,700 2,000 2,200 2,100 2,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 1,600 1,500 1,500 1,500 2,100 2,100 2,100 2,200 
			 East Sussex 3,100 3,300 3,100 3,200 4,800 4,900 5,200 5,300 
			 Portsmouth 500 500 500 400 2,200 2,300 2,500 2,700 
			 Southampton 400 400 400 300 2,500 2,700 2,600 2,600 
			 Hampshire 2,900 3,200 3,200 3,200 17,100 17,700 18,200 19,100 
			 Isle of Wight 1,400 1,400 1,400 1,400 800 800 800 800 
			 Kent 16,100 16,100 16,400 16,900 6,800 6,800 7,300 7,500 
			 Medway 2,800 2,700 2,800 2,900 1,600 1,600 1,700 1,500 
			 Oxfordshire 6,600 6,900 7,000 7,200 3,500 3,100 3,000 3,200 
			 Surrey 10,200 10,200 10,500 10,500 8,200 8,500 8,500 9,100 
			 West Sussex 5,500 5,300 5,400 5,500 6,700 6,600 7,100 7,300 
			  
			 South West 42,200 42,700 43,300 44,500 37,900 38,400 40,000 40,800 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 2,500 2,200 2,100 2,100 900 900 1,000 1,100 
			 Bristol, City of 2,600 3,000 3,200 3,100 2,700 3,000 3,000 3,200 
			 North Somerset 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,500 1,600 1,500 1,500 1,600 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,400 2,300 2,200 2,300 1,500 1,500 1,600 1,600 
			 Cornwall 2,900 3,000 3,000 3,000 5,600 5,500 5,700 5,600 
			 Plymouth 3,100 2,900 2,800 2,900 1,000 1,100 1,200 1,200 
			 Torbay 1,300 1,200 1,200 1,300 700 700 700 700 
			 Devon 4,900 5,500 5,700 5,900 5,700 5,600 5,700 5,900 
			 Bournemouth 1,100 1,000 1,000 1,000 1,200 1,200 1,300 1,200 
			 Poole 1,500 1,400 1,500 1,600 900 900 900 800 
			 Dorset 4,200 4,500 4,500 4,800 2,100 2,200 2,400 2,300 
			 Gloucestershire 6,000 5,900 6,200 6,400 3,400 3,400 3,600 3,700 
			 Somerset 3,400 3,500 3,600 3,700 5,300 5,400 5,500 5,600 
			 Swindon 400 400 300 400 2,200 2,400 2,500 2,800 
			 Wiltshire 4,200 4,400 4,400 4,400 3,100 3,200 3,300 3,400 
			  
			  384,400 393,900 400,200 409,000 401,800 411,700 426,900 435,300 
		
	
	(1) Further education colleges will include a small number of 16 and 17-year-olds in HE institutions.
	(2) Provisional.

Pupil Referral Units

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what role pupil referral units play in supporting children in education.

Jacqui Smith: Local authorities use pupil referral units (PRUs) as part of a spectrum of provision to meet the educational needs of pupils in their area who, for reasons of illness, exclusion or otherwise, are unable to attend mainstream schools.
	The main role of PRUs is to ensure that pupils continue to receive an education while not attending mainstream or special schools. PRUs offer their pupils additional support and motivation in order to prepare them for reintegration to mainstream schooling. However, pupils will only be readmitted into mainstream settings when they are ready to benefit from it without disrupting the learning of other pupils. Pupils who need to remain in PRUs for longer periods are offered an education which is appropriate to their age, ability, aptitude and to any specific needs they may have.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departmental Finance

John Pugh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what core elements make up the £6,459,000 spent by his Department on planning.

Yvette Cooper: In 2004–05 the administration expenditure of the planning directorate within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was £6,827,726. The core elements were the staff and non-pay running costs of delivering:
	
		
			  £000 (rounded) 
		
		
			 The review, development and implementation of new national planning policies on housing, countryside, town centres and economic development and on planning obligations. 1,073 
			 The review and development of national planning policies on minerals, waste, contaminated land and flooding, casework on mineral planning appeals and marine minerals dredging, and negotiation for the UK of the EU directive on waste from the extractive industries. 1,102 
			 The implementation of reforms in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (PCPA) to the system of development control, local authority performance and incentive grants. 940 
			 The implementation of reforms contained in the PCPA 2004 to the plan making system at regional and local level, policies on compulsory purchase and negotiations on EU environmental assessment directives, Interreg structural funds and international planning matters. 1,492 
			 Planning and compulsory purchase bill and coordination of implementation of PCPA 2004, e-planning in local authorities and changing the culture of the planning system. 510 
			 Casework on planning decisions made by Ministers 907 
			 Senior management, directorate administration and central services. 803

Fire Control Centres

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what he estimates the total cost will be of establishing the nine regional fire control centres.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) on the 14 October 2005, Official Report, columns 609–10W.

Fire Control Centres

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total annual running costs were of emergency fire control rooms in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Fire and Rescue Authorities do not keep separate figures for their total spending on control centres: the CIPFA statistics cover control room staffing costs only. Therefore the FiReControl project had to commission detailed work on current and forecast costs as a basis for the FiReControl Business Case in 2004. The current version of the business case includes an average forecast cost of £75.6 million per annum as total cost of providing control services from 2004–05 to 2006–07, at 2004 prices.

Fire Control Centres

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the initial estimates were of the cost of establishing the nine regional fire control centres.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Initial estimates of the cost of establishing nine regional control centres were provided in the Strategic Outline Business Case, which was based on the report by Mott MacDonald 'The Future of Fire and Rescue Service Control Rooms in England and Wales: Update 2003'. Mott MacDonald calculated that over a 10 year period, at 2004 prices, the regional control option would deliver a total net saving of £155 million. It estimated project costs at £100 million, comprising project management costs, technology costs, accommodation costs and redundancy. The Outline Business Case (available on www.firecontrol.odpm.gov.uk) was based on more detailed work and different assumptions, so the costs shown in that cannot be directly compared with the Mott MacDonald costs.

Key Worker Living Initiative

Mark Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homes have been built in (a) each borough in Hampshire, (b) Southampton and (c) Portsmouth under the Key Worker Living Initiative; and how many of these are occupied.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Local authority Units completed up to 30 September 2005 Units occupied up to 30 September 2005 Units reserved/awaiting occupancy up to 30 September 2005 
		
		
			 Rushmoor 22 0 15 
			 Basingstoke and Dean 27 24 3 
			 East Hampshire 13 9 0 
			 Isle of Wight 5 2 3 
			 Eastleigh 11 0 2 
			 Southampton 119 12 0 
			 New Forest 9 2 7 
			 Fareham 29 0 1 
			 Portsmouth 32 0 0 
			 Havant 34 1 0 
			 Winchester 14 0 13 
		
	
	Of the 310 units completed so far in Hampshire, 48 are occupied with a further 44 reserved or in the process of being bought/let. Of the 218 units not yet taken, 142 were completed since July, including 32 units in Portsmouth and 55 units in Southampton.
	All Key Worker Living units in Hampshire have now been given an expanded eligibility criteria in response to local market conditions.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government have made of the average proportion of local government expenditure that is financed from council tax in (a) local authorities in England, (b) district councils, (c) unitary councils, (d) London boroughs, (e) Metropolitan authorities and (f) county councils.

Phil Woolas: The average percentage of Revenue Expenditure 1 that is financed from council tax for 2005–06 is tabled.
	1 Revenue Expenditure comprises expenditure financed from formula grants, specific grants inside Aggregate External Finance, council taxes and the use of reserves.
	
		
			   Percentage 
		
		
			 (a) England 25.4 
			 (b) Shire district councils 42.9 
			 (c) Unitary councils 24.7 
			 (d) London boroughs (including City) 21.4 
			 (e) Metropolitan borough councils 20.6 
			 (f) County councils 30.8 
		
	
	Source:
	RA returns to ODPM

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate the Government have made of the average gearing ratio in (a) local authorities in England, (b) district councils, (c) unitary councils, (d) London boroughs, (e) Metropolitan authorities and (f) county councils.

Phil Woolas: The gearing ratio is a measure of the impact that increasing budgets has on council taxes. Listed in the following table are average gearing ratios derived from data on RA returns supplied to Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for 2005–06. The ratios have been calculated as revenue expenditure divided by the council tax requirement for the relevant authorities:
	
		
			   Average gearing ratios 
		
		
			 (a) England 3.9 
			 (b) Shire district councils 2.3 
			 (c) Unitary councils 4.0 
			 (d) London boroughs 4.7 
			 (e) Metropolitan district councils 4.9 
			 (f) County councils 3.2

Pathfinder Renewal Project

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the electoral wards in Newcastle and Gateshead where the demolition programme funded by the Newcastle-Gateshead Pathfinder in (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06 are to take place, broken down by number in each ward.

Yvette Cooper: Demolitions funded by the Newcastle Gateshead housing market renewal pathfinder have taken place in the following wards:
	
		
			  2004–05 Qtr 1 and 2 2005–06 Qtr 3 and 4 2005–06 
		
		
			 Ward Actual Actual Forecast 
			 Walker 6 12 26 
			 Kenton 60 21 42 
			 Fenham 98 15 0 
			 Elswick 8 0 160 
			 Scotswood and Benwel 203 52 48 
			 Bridges and Felling 34 164 124 
			 Deckham 0 0 20 
			 Total 409 264 420

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the effective rate of employer contributions is to final salary pension schemes in the public sector for firefighters.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Firefighters' Pension Scheme is an unfunded scheme; accordingly there is no employers' contribution and pensions are paid from revenue. The current estimated cost of the scheme is 37.5 per cent. of pensionable pay and members pay a contribution of 11 per cent.

Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 396W, on local government pensions, if he will publish the figures available for each of the separate pension fund authorities in England.

Phil Woolas: Local government pension funds in England and Wales have advised that the total cost to all scheme employers of reinstating the rule of 85 in the scheme, with effect from 1 April 2005, is £435 million for 2005–06. Details of individual pension fund costs are available on the LGPS website at:
	www.xoq.83.dial.pipex.com.

Regional Spatial Strategy

Peter Bone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will take steps to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support the Milton Keynes and South Midlands regional spatial strategy.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has already taken significant steps to ensure that appropriate infrastructure is being put in place to develop sustainable communities outlined in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub regional strategy March 2005 (MKSM SRS). The MKSM SRS provides strategic guidance on the scale, location and timing of development and associated employment, transport and other key infrastructure over the next twenty years ensuring that growth is undertaken in a planned and sustainable manner.
	The MKSM Inter-regional Board established in February 2004 , which I chaired on the 4 October ensures that all agencies deliver investment and policy commitment to meet the objectives in the strategy. The board is made up of some 30 organisations, including key strategic public and private sector partners.
	Through the growth areas fund, in the period 2003–08 we are making up to £364 million available for the newer growth areas, including up to £230 million for the MKSM area. This funding will support a range of projects which will unlock development sites and ensure that new and expanding communities have the facilities that they need.
	All four growth areas will benefit from the creation of a new community infrastructure fund (CIF), which will be held within the Department for Transport's budget. This Fund will provide an extra £200 million for transport infrastructure in the growth areas over the SR04 period. The MKSM area will receive around £111 million from the fund.
	Mainstream funding from other departments has also been increased to reflect growth within the sub region.
	Finally local delivery vehicles have been established in the region to drive and coordinate the growth of the area using land assembly, investment and planning roles to create confidence and stimulate private investment.

Respect

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much funding he plans to provide to the Home Office's unit dealing with respect issues; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is making a substantial contribution to the respect agenda. A number of our programmes are supporting the work of the respect unit, notably the examples as follows.
	Our core programme is the 'Cleaner Safer Greener' strand of our work with local authorities which involves a commitment of £105 million over two years.
	The £1.05 billion neighbourhood renewal fund enables local partnerships to make respect a key priority.
	The safer and stronger communities fund provides a further £122 million on top of the funding for the cleaner safer greener strand of our work.
	The supporting people programme enables local authorities to provide housing related support services to assist in addressing the respect agenda.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Lupus

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was made available by his Department for research into effective treatment of lupus in each of the past five years; and if he will increase future funding levels.

Shaun Woodward: The HPSS research and development office has not funded research into the treatment of Lupus in the last five years.
	The HPSS research and development office will make decisions on future funding for research into this condition on receipt of applications made by research departments in universities and hospitals in line with priorities set within the HPSS research and development strategy and available resources. In common with other NHS R&D strategies, the HPSS R&D strategy is neither disease specific nor disease driven.

Tax Credits (Helpline)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to improve the public telephone helpline of the regional Inland Revenue office for tax credit inquiries from Northern Ireland.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
	We are currently planning to link the Northern Ireland tax credits helpline to the main HMRC contact centre network. This will increase the pool of people available to deal with calls, hence improving the service of the Northern Ireland tax credits helpline.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Prosecutor's Pledge

Piara S Khabra: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps the Crown Prosecution Service plans to take to help victims as part of the prosecutor's pledge.

Mike O'Brien: Under the prosecutors pledge, the CPS will protect the interests of victims from charging to any possible appeal in a number of ways. An assessment will be made of the needs of a victim, for example, perhaps to be a witness in a trial they might need transport, child care or an interpreter. This may be provided. Victims can be protected from unwarranted character attacks during a trial or plea in litigation. This is the first time the level of service to victims by the CPS has been set out in one document and published.

Non-stranger Rape

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Solicitor-General if he will investigate what further steps can be taken to improve the conviction rate in prosecutions for non-stranger rape.

Mike O'Brien: It is difficult to secure convictions in non-stranger rape cases. Very often there are no independent witnesses and frequently no forensic evidence.
	I am working closely with the CPS to look at a variety of ways in which more can be done to build stronger cases and assist victims to give better evidence. This will improve conviction rates.
	In particular, I am interested in seeing experts give evidence concerning the psychological impact of rape on victims. This would better inform juries by addressing some of the myths that persist around rape.

Crown Prosecution Service

Sally Keeble: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is taking to speed up decision-making in the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mike O'Brien: The decision to prosecute is made on a case by case basis and is only taken following a thorough review of the available evidence by a Crown prosecutor, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
	Every effort is made to make these decisions within a reasonable time period. However, due to the complexity of some cases, some decisions may take longer.

European Convention on Human Rights

Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General what advice the Department has provided on the compatibility of extended detention without charge with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Mike O'Brien: We do not disclose outside Government the content of law officer advice nor whether or not such advice exists. This is in line with the practice of successive Governments.

Dead Bodies (Identification)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Solicitor-General which agencies work with the police and coroners in the task of identifying dead bodies discovered in the UK; and what the respective roles are of (a) the coroners, (b) the police and (c) other agencies.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of agencies work with the police and coroners on the identification of dead bodies. These include the Forensic Science Service, pathologists and the National Missing Persons Helpline. The coroner's role is to investigate sudden, violent or unnatural deaths in order to determine who the deceased was, and how, when and where they came by their death and to enable the death to be properly registered. The role of the police and other agencies is to assist the coroner in performing these functions.

Dead Bodies (Identification)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Solicitor-General how many unidentified corpses are held in morgues in England and Wales; and how many have been unidentified for more than (a) 12, (b) 18 and (c) 24 months.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not held centrally.

Dead Bodies (Identification)

Jon Trickett: To ask the Solicitor-General what guidance is issued to coroners on the use of DNA samples in establishing the identity of dead persons.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Coroners determine the means of identification and we have not issued guidance to them on the use of DNA samples in identifying deceased persons.

Domestic Violence

Barbara Follett: To ask the Solicitor-General what steps he is taking to increase the support provided to victims of domestic violence in the criminal justice system.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service is committed to ensuring that victims of domestic violence are adequately protected and supported nationwide. As part of this commitment it has devised and published progressive domestic violence policy, guidance and training to equip prosecutors.
	The Crown Prosecution Service has a national network of domestic violence co-ordinators, including one in Hertfordshire, to implement policy, address problems and share good practice.
	All of the criminal justice units in Hertfordshire have a specialist domestic violence champion. They are tasked to liaise with other agencies to support victims, raise awareness of their concerns and represent the CPS in the local domestic violence forum.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Graham Stuart: To ask the Solicitor-General what representations he has received from and on behalf of independent financial advisors on the Financial Ombudsman Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I am not aware of any such representations.

Fraud Convictions

Sarah Teather: To ask the Solicitor-General how many people have been convicted of fraud in London in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: I have been asked to reply. 
	Data from the Home Office court proceedings database on the number of people convicted for fraud in London, 1997 to 2003 is contained in the table. Statistics for 2004 court proceedings will be available in the autumn.
	
		Offenders found guilty at all courts for fraud offences in London (metropolitan and city of London police force areas),1997 to 2003(3)
		
			  Number of total fraud offences 
		
		
			 1997 2,711 
			 1998 3,002 
			 1999 2,918 
			 2000 2,906 
			 2001 2,604 
			 2002 2,782 
			 2003 2,735 
		
	
	(3) These data are on the principal offence basis.

TREASURY

Business Conduct

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will extend the time allowed for return of the twice yearly questionnaire required of businesses operating under the conduct of businesses rules; and if he will re-consider the decision to require that this process is undertaken bi-annually.

Ivan Lewis: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is operationally independent of the Government and is responsible for determining what information it requires authorised persons to submit on a regular basis, how frequently they should submit that information and within what timeframes. That information can relate to conduct of business rules and the current return that collects this information on a bi-annual basis is the retail mediation activities return (RMAR) which is required to be submitted within thirty business days. The FSA shall be writing to the hon. Member shortly about these issues.

Cash Machines

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the increase in the numbers of fee-charging cash machines on low income households.

Ivan Lewis: Work is under way through the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to explore how the financially excluded access their cash and transmit money. Among other things, this work will identify the extent to which fee-charging ATMs are disproportionately used by the financially excluded. The results of this work are due next year.
	In addition, the Treasury continues to maintain regular contact with Link to discuss issues relating to the ATM market and to keep up to date with any developments.

Child Benefit

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have received child benefit in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 25 October 2005, Official Report, columns 305–06W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Jarrow (Mr. Hepburn).

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to the Paymaster General from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (PO Ref: 4/22437/2005).

Dawn Primarolo: A reply has been sent to the hon. Member.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will obtain an answer from the chairman of HM Revenue and Customs to the letters to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 18 August and 23 September with regard to Mr K. Akhtar, following reference of that case to the chairman by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in July.

Dawn Primarolo: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on the day that he tabled his question.

Financial Services Authority

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the role of the Financial Services Authority with regard to (a) the burden of administration its procedures involve and (b) the effectiveness of its complaints procedures.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury's Two-Year Review of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA), the outcome of which was announced in December 2004, included a reduction in Financial Services Authority (FSA) consultation burdens and reforms making the FSA handbook of rules easier to use. The FSA has subsequently launched other initiatives to simplify its handbook of rules further. The administrative burden associated with requirements to report information to the FSA is currently being assessed by independent consultants as part of the Government's initiative to assess all such burdens generated by all Government bodies and regulators. In parallel the FSA has commissioned independent consultants to assess the cumulative burden of all forms of financial regulation in three business sectors. A person dissatisfied with the FSA's response to a complaint may approach the Office of the Complaints Commissioner, which publishes an annual report. In light of these reports there are no current plans to review the FSA's complaints procedures.

Gift Aid

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much revenue has been lost to his Department in relation to the Gift Aid scheme in each year since its inception; what estimate has been made of the cost of (a) allowing charitable donations by non-taxpayers to qualify at the standard rate and (b) applying the scheme at the standard rate to charitable donations on which Gift Aid is not claimed; what estimate has been made of the cost to charities of implementing the scheme; and what has been estimated as (i) the total value of charitable giving, (ii) the proportion eligible for the scheme and (iii) the proportion subject to the scheme in each year since the scheme's inception.

Ivan Lewis: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not maintain figures for the total value of charitable giving. Donations to charities under Gift Aid and covenants and payroll giving back to 1990–91 are available on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/charities/menu.htm. Provisional figures for 2004–05 show total repayments to charities under Gift Aid of £625 million. HMRC does not maintain estimates for the cost of allowing charitable donations by non-taxpayers to qualify at the standard rate, nor on applying the scheme at the standard rate to charitable donations on which Gift Aid is not claimed. Likewise, HMRC has made no estimate of the cost to charities of implementing the Gift Aid scheme.

Gift Aid

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  for what reasons his Department has re-interpreted the arrangements for charities which can disregard admission charges in return for gift-aided donations;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact of free admission to larger museums on smaller charities, with particular reference to Gift Aid.

Ivan Lewis: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to him of 21 October 2005, Official Report, column 1312W.
	Free admission to certain larger museums was introduced by the Department for Culture Media and Sport in December 2001. HM Revenue and Customs have not made any assessment of the impact of this measure on smaller charges.

HM Revenue and Customs

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the rate was of (a) early retirement and (b) resignation on grounds of stress and ill health in Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in each of the last two years in each region and country of the UK; and what the rate was for staff working on tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is as follows:
	(a) The rate of retirement on the grounds of ill health in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last two financial years was:
	
		In the former Inland Revenue
		
			  Rate per 1,000 staff 
		
		
			 2003–04 2.3 
			 2004–05 1.72 
		
	
	
		In the former Customs and Excise
		
			  Rate per 1,000 staff 
		
		
			 2003–04 1.9 
			 2004–05 2.2 
		
	
	Information on the percentage of these requirements due specifically to stress is not available.
	(b) The rate of resignations on grounds of ill health in HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last two financial years was:
	
		In the former Inland Revenue
		
			  Rate per 1,000 staff 
		
		
			 2003–04 28.8 
			 2004–05 33.9 
		
	
	
		In the former Customs and Excise
		
			  Rate per 1,000 staff 
		
		
			 2003–2004 21.7 
			 2004–2005 25.1 
		
	
	These figures have been derived from the HR records of the former Departments and from information supplied by BMI health services, (now Capita health services) who are the medical advisers to the principal civil service pension scheme. Information identifying stress and ill health by region and country and to staff working on tax credits could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

National Insurance/Income Tax

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the merits of combining national insurance with income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: Tax and national insurance have different structures. Many of the differences between the two systems result from the fact that they serve different purposes. Income tax is designed to raise revenue for public spending while NICs are directly linked to entitlement to contributory benefits. Since Martin Taylor's report on work incentives in 1998, the Government have been pursuing a policy of alignment as far as is possible, for example replacing the multiple employer rates with a single rate of national insurance for employers, and aligning the starting point for paying both employers' and employees NICs with the income tax personal allowance. HMRC continues to work with employer representatives and others to look for opportunities to align the tax and NICs rules at a practical level, while having regard to the individuals' benefit entitlements.

National Minimum Wage

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been paid the minimum wage in each year since it was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: The DTI estimates that 970,000 workers in Great Britain stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999.
	The DTI has estimated that 1.3 million workers would be covered by the October 2005 uprating of the national minimum wage.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assumptions about the reform of public sector pension scheme retirement ages are contained within existing public expenditure estimates; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 25 October, Official Report, column 314W.

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne) of 13 October 2005, Official Report, column 417W, on self-invested pension plans, if he will make a statement on what would constitute abuse of the new rules.

Ivan Lewis: The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review and as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury made clear, if there is any evidence of abuse in this area, we will take appropriate action to stop it.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of the value of tax credit overpayments written off from (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date as a result of (i) software errors, (ii) manual payments and (iii) official error;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the value of tax credit overpayments which have been written off by the Revenue in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what his latest estimate is of the value of tax credit overpayments which have been written off by HM Revenue and Customs in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and if he will make a statement.

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is for the value of tax credit overpayments written off in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date, broken down by those resulting from (i) software error and (ii) clerical error;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the value of tax credit overpayments which have been written off by HM Customs and Revenue in (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05 and (c) 2005–06 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For the value of tax credit overpayments written off as a result of software errors I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the answer I gave him on 4 July 2005, Official Report, column 101W.
	For the amount written off in respect of manual payments in 2003–04, I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the Comptroller and Auditor General's Standard Report on the Accounts of the Inland Revenue for 2004–05. This is available on the internet at:
	www.nao.org.uk
	For amounts written off as a result of official error, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 282W.
	HM Revenue and Customs wrote off around £71 million as official error relief from July 2005 to the end of September 2005.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the recent changes to the tax credit computer system which provide information on processing errors with tax credit awards.

Dawn Primarolo: holding answer 13 October 2005
	The problems that occurred at the time tax credits were introduced have been addressed and the IT system is now stable and operating well in terms of speed and accessibility. Having established the integrity of the IT system and significantly improved its performance, the priority for HMRC must be to maintain that and make sure that further IT changes take place in an orderly way. Further improvements to the IT system remain a priority, however, and HMRC is working to create a more flexible IT system that will allow improvements to be made much more quickly.
	HMRC are also working to improve their management information systems to help identify problems with the IT system earlier.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under what circumstances (a) a married couple and (b) an unmarried couple previously treated as a family for tax credit purposes is treated as separated for tax credit purposes; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on how a family break up can affect tax credits awards is available in the changes section of the new tax credits manual which can be viewed on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/ntcmanual/index.htm

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the revenue yield would be of (a) abolishing the family element of child tax credit and (b) withdrawing the family element of child tax credit on family incomes of over £30,000.

Dawn Primarolo: The estimated reductions in expenditure as a result of these options, calculated for 2005–06, are:
	(a) abolishing the family element of child tax credit: around £3 billion per year.
	(b) withdrawing the family element of child tax credit on family incomes over £30,000: around £0.6 billion per year.
	These figures were calculated using the department's tax and benefit model (IGOTM) based on data from the Family Resources Survey 2003–04.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what proportion of child care tax credit claims have been (a) inaccurate and (b) fraudulent;
	(2)  how many fraudulent tax credit claims over £1,500 there were in (a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: HMRC is carrying out a random inquiry programme of a representative sample of finalised claims across the tax credit population to measure the level of error and error in tax credits. Final results for the 2003–04 exercise will be published in spring 2006.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Leader of the House what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Office.

Nigel Griffiths: Staff within the Leader of the House of Commons Office are supplied by the Privy Council Office (PCO). The PCO uses a competency based staff recruitment and appraisal system. Communication is one of these competencies and it encompasses a wide range of skills, the level of which is dependent on the individual post. In addition, each member of staff has a personal development plan, tailored to meet their training and development needs.

Hon. Members' Offices (Broadband)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Leader of the House how many hon. Members' constituency offices have been connected to broadband; and how many hon. Members who have applied for broadband in their constituency offices have been waiting to be connected for (a) six months, (b) one year and (c) two years and over.

Nigel Griffiths: 404 current Members have been connected to broadband in their constituency by the Parliamentary Communications Directorate (PCD). In addition to this number, some Members may have made their own arrangements to procure a broadband connection in their constituency, for which there are no central records.
	The broadband connection is needed to support Parliament's Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. Where Members have the upgraded Personal Computers necessary to support VPN, orders to install are generally being completed within 28 days of their receipt.
	Not all Members took up an invite to upgrade their Personal Computers and this has resulted in a very small number of MPs who have recently requested broadband and VPN services without the necessary upgraded Personal Computers to support it. However, they will have their equipment replaced in the first phase of a large PCD project due to commence in November and this will ensure that their requests can be met.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Council Tax Benefit

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are (a) eligible for council tax benefit and (b) in receipt of council tax benefit in (i) Basingstoke, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England.

James Plaskitt: Information on the take up of council tax benefit is not available below national level. The latest available information is in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take Up in 2002/2003", a copy of which is in the Library.
	Information on council tax benefit recipients is not available by Parliamentary constituency. The available information on those pensioners in receipt of council tax benefit is in the table.
	
		Council tax benefit caseloads for claimants aged 60 and over: February 2005
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 England 2,050,500 
			 Hampshire 34,700 
			 Basingstoke and Deane borough council 3,800 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.
	4. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	5. Figures refer to cases where the claimant and/or partner is aged 60 or over.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System
	Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in February 2005.

Departmental Priorities

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the Department's priorities for the next year.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 26 October 2005
	The Department for Work and Pensions priorities for the next five years are set out in the Department's Five-Year Strategy "Opportunity and security throughout life", Cm 6447, which is available in the Library.
	These are:
	ensure the best start for all children and end child poverty by 2020;
	promote work as the best form of welfare for people of working age and remove barriers to work (thereby move towards the aim of 80 per cent. of the working population in employment), while protecting the position of those in greatest need;
	combat poverty and promote security and independence in retirement for today's and tomorrow's pensioners;
	improve rights and opportunities for people with disabilities in a fair and inclusive society;
	ensure customers receive a high-quality customer service, including high levels of accuracy and the avoidance of fraud.
	The public service agreement targets agreed in Spending Review 2004 for the Department for Work and Pensions outline the Departmental aims, objectives and performance targets, and who is responsible for their delivery. The PSA took effect from April 2005.
	The principles which underpin this reform agenda were published in 'Principles for Welfare Reform' in October 2005.

Employment (Hornsey and Wood Green)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) employment and (b) income in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: In October 2005 we assessed the employment rate in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency to be 71.2 per cent.
	In 2002–03 we estimate there to have been 55,000 taxpayers with a median income of £21,000, in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency. These are the latest available figures.

Job Vacancies

Edward Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job vacancies there are in Doncaster, North constituency; how many there were 12 months ago; and what the national vacancy rate is per 1,000 of population.

Margaret Hodge: Jobcentre Plus handles only a proportion of vacancies notified by employers. Consequently the figures do not represent the total number of job vacancies available in Doncaster, North. Jobcentre Plus vacancy data by parliamentary constituency was made available for the first time in June 2005 with back data to November 2004.
	The following table shows the number of unfilled vacancies held by Jobcentre Plus in Doncaster, North constituency.
	
		
			 Period Number of unfilled vacancies 
		
		
			 November 2004 760 
			 September 2005 440 
		
	
	Source:
	Jobcentre Plus Labour Market System
	The number of job vacancies in the United Kingdom in the three months to September 2005 is provisionally estimated as 625,100 on average (seasonally adjusted) based on the Office for National Statistics' Vacancy Survey. This represents a ratio of 24 unfilled vacancies per 1,000 employee jobs or 17 unfilled vacancies per 1,000 of population of working age. Job vacancy figures are published in table 21 of the ONS monthly Labour Market Statistics First Release.
	For comparison, the number of job vacancies in the United Kingdom in the three months to September 2004 is estimated as 643,200 on average (seasonally adjusted) based on the Office for National Statistics' Vacancy Survey. This represents a ratio of 25 unfilled vacancies per 1,000 employee jobs or 17 unfilled vacancies per 1,000 of population of working age.

TRANSPORT

A21 Upgrade

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have been contacted by the Highways Agency regarding compulsory purchase orders on property affected by the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency have not contacted any individuals regarding compulsory purchase orders on property affected by the proposed A21 upgrade as the draft orders have not yet been published or made.

A21 Upgrade

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many properties have been purchased by the Highways Agency in connection with the proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Robertsbridge.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has purchased four properties in connection with the proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Robertsbridge.

A21 Upgrade

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice the South East of England Regional Assembly has given in connection with the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: The joint Treasury/DTI/DfT/ODPM document, "Regional Funding Allocations—Guidance on Preparing Advice", published in July 2005, included indicative annual spending guidelines for expenditure on housing, transport and economic development, and explained the basis of the regional advice that the Government would like to receive by the end of January 2006.
	I am aware that the South East Transport Board has recently considered the relative priority of a number of major transport projects, including some on the A21. However the Board has not completed its work and when it has, its views will feed into the wider advice requested. I expect that advice to be submitted to Government in January next year.

A21 Upgrade

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list compulsory purchase orders made in connection with the proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Robertsbridge; and what the average payment made has been.

Stephen Ladyman: No compulsory purchase orders have been published or made in connection with the proposed A21 upgrade between Flimwell and Robertsbridge.

A38 Roadworks

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the economic impact on the Plymouth travel to work area of the 25 week extensive roadworks to the A38.

Stephen Ladyman: The roadworks on the A38 between Ashburton and Buckfastleigh in Devon have been planned to minimise delays to traffic by carrying out the work between September and March.
	Prior to the work commencing, modelling work was undertaken to assess the extent of the anticipated delays to traffic and extensive publicity was undertaken to encourage drivers to avoid using the road during peak times.
	During the roadworks, traffic flows and delays are being monitored to assess the effects on traffic.
	Following completion of the works, the overall impact of the works will be assessed to see what lessons can be learned for future roadworks on the A38 in Devon.

A38 Roadworks

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the roadworks to the A38 are being carried out on a 24-hour a day basis; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency has explored every opportunity to reduce the length of time it will take to carry out the roadworks on the A38 between Ashburton and Buckfastleigh in Devon. Together with local authority environmental health officers, the agency has carefully considered the possibility of 24 hour working but this was rejected because of the effects of noise on local residents. Planning conditions to control noise also apply to the operation of the quarry that is being used to provide materials for the work.

Correspondence

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to improve the Department's performance in replying to hon. Members' correspondence.

Karen Buck: Every effort is made to handle all correspondence effectively and efficiently. The Department for Transport and its agencies have targets of between seven and fifteen working days for replying to such correspondence.
	All correspondence from hon. Members and peers is handled in accordance with the principles set out in "Handling Correspondence from Members of Parliament, Members of the House of Lords, MEPs and Members of Devolved Assemblies:
	Guidance for Departments".
	Information relating to the performance of departments in replying to Members/peers correspondence is published on an annual basis. The report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137–140WS.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Karen Buck: The Department for Transport operates competency based recruitment when recruiting new employees. For posts recruiting below SCS the department follow DfT's competency framework. For posts recruiting at SCS level the department follow the competency framework set by the Cabinet Office.
	Specialist posts (i.e. accountants) do undergo some form of numeracy tests provided by an external agency.
	We do not assess literacy skills of new recruits.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

Karen Buck: The Department offers a wide range of training in both literacy and numeracy to all its staff, including learn direct courses, access to further education, learning resource centres and specific training courses. Development needs are normally identified as part of the performance management processes that are in place, but staff can discuss their needs at any time with their managers.

Greenhouse Emissions

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his policy on encouraging the reduction of greenhouse emissions within the transport industry.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government's policies on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases from all sectors, including the transport sector, will be set out in the revised UK Climate Change Programme, which is due to be published before the end of the year.

Motorway Roadworks (Safety)

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what policy considerations underlay the decision not to publish the Transport Research Laboratory report entitled "Safety performance of traffic management at major motorway roadworks (TRL595)".

Stephen Ladyman: It is Government policy that whenever possible reports of research carried out at public expense should be made available to the public. The policy considerations underlying the decision on the form of publication of research reports is based on the cost of publication and the potential public interest in the subject matter.
	The Executive Summary of the TRL Report "Safety performance of traffic management at major motorway road works. (TRL 595)—2004" was published on the Highways Agency Research Compendium website in 2004. A link to the TRL website is available from which copies of the full report may be purchased.

National Boatmaster's Licence

Julian Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that the introduction of a national boatmaster's licence will not adversely affect standards of safety on the River Thames.

Stephen Ladyman: The proposals for a new national boatmaster's licence have been developed in consultation with representatives of industry, and relevant port and navigation authorities. In the case of the tidal River Thames, this is the Port of London Authority (PLA).

New Drivers (First Aid Education)

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing an element of first aid education for new drivers; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The syllabus for the driving theory test taken by candidates seeking a licence to drive a car, motorcycle, lorry or bus requires a basic knowledge and understanding of first aid. Every theory test includes a question on first aid and a separate question on accident handling. The Government considers this is the appropriate way to assess competence in basic first aid matters within the driving test.
	The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is working with the British Red Cross and St John Ambulance to improve new drivers' awareness of first aid within the existing driving test.

Private Car Park Operators

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what controls are in place to regulate the maximum (a) charges and (b) penalties applied by private car park operators.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Privately owned and run car parks are not subject to the provisions of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 or the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984. The terms and conditions under which they are operated is therefore a matter for the owner and operator of the car park, not the Government. Vehicle immobilisers who have been employed by private car park owners to clamp cars and charge a fee to the owners who contravene the terms and conditions of parking are required to be licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

A507

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding traffic and pedestrian safety measures for the A507 between Shefford and Campton in Bedfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I have not received representations for this stretch of the A507, but I understand that Bedfordshire county council, as the local highway authority, has received representations relating to a number of sites on the A507.

A507

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) accidents and (b) fatalities have been recorded on the A507 between Shefford and Campton in Bedfordshire in each year since 1996; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The number of personal injury accidents on the A507 between Shefford and Campton between 1996 and 2004 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of personal injury accidents 
		
		
			 1996 0 
			 1997 1 
			 1998 1 
			 1999 1 
			 2000 2 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 2 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 2 
		
	
	None of the accidents resulted in a fatality.

Road Safety

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is on (a) on-surface pedestrian crossings, (b) speed limits and (c) sub-surface pedestrian crossings for main trunk roads; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government's policy for the provision of pedestrian crossings takes the form of advice, guidance and recommendations which are set out in Local Transport Note 1/95 "The Assessment of Pedestrian Crossings", while more specific advice for main trunk roads is to be found in TA 91/05 "Provision for Non Motorised Users", which is contained in Volume 5 of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges. Both these documents are in the House of Commons Library.

Road Safety

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Government have spent on promoting (a) traffic and (b) pedestrian safety in the county of Bedfordshire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government fund local transport schemes, including those specifically related to road safety, through the Local Transport Plan integrated block allocation and the maintenance block allocation. It is for individual local highway authorities, in this case Bedfordshire county council, to decide how this block funding is allocated.

HEALTH

NICE

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new chemical entities are awaiting assessment by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); whether the average number of new chemical entities awaiting assessment by NICE has changed since it was established; what the average time taken between submission of a new chemical entity and assessment is; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 20 October 2005
	No new chemical entities were referred to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) until September 2003. Since September 2003, a total of seven chemical entities have been referred to NICE. All seven are on NICE'S current work programme.
	New chemical entities are defined as new compounds not previously used to treat any condition.

Dentistry

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Department is taking to clarify the (a) detail and (b) structure of the proposed units of dental activity to be required to be delivered as part of the new dental contract for NHS dentists; what action is being taken by her Department to facilitate the establishment of the proposed new NHS dental practice in Chard at the Chard Business Park; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 25 October
	The system of units of dental activity is derived from the proposed banded dental charging system. The details and structure of the proposed units of dental activity were included in the draft general dental services contract and personal dental services agreement regulations published in August. Units of dental activity correspond to courses of treatment, weighted into three bands to reflect their relative average complexity.
	Table one shows units of dental activity in respect of banded courses of treatment.
	
		Table 1: Course of treatment
		
			  Units 
		
		
			 Band 1 (excluding urgent treatment) 1.0 
			 Band 1 (urgent treatment only) 1.2 
			 Band 2 3.0 
			 Band 3 12.0 
		
	
	Table two shows units of dental activity in respect of charge exempt course of treatment.
	
		Table 2: Course of treatment
		
			  Units 
		
		
			 Issue of a prescription 0.75 
			 Repair of a dental appliance (denture) 1.0 
			 Repair of a dental appliance (bridge) 1.2 
			 Removal of sutures 1.0 
			 Arrest of bleeding 1.2 
		
	
	The Department agreed resources to establish a new practice operating under personal dental services in Chard in April. The application is now being taken forward by the South Gloucestershire primary care trust.

Prescriptions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pre-payment certificates for prescriptions have been issued in Lancashire in each of the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 26 October 2005
	Information on the number of pre-payment certificates (PPCs) issued for Lancashire is not separately identifiable. However, the number of PPCs issued for England, by month for each of the last 12 months is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Month/year Number of PPCs issued for England 
		
		
			 October 2004 92,845 
			 November 2004 83,363 
			 December 2004 73,876 
			 January 2005 95,978 
			 February 2005 81,638 
			 March 2005 125,477 
			 April 2005 97,265 
			 May 2005 82,803 
			 June 2005 96,670 
			 July 2005 91,852 
			 August 2005 83,077 
			 September 2005 86,549

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Departmental Staff

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who the Director of Finance of his Department is; what specialist finance qualifications he or she holds; and what the details are of his or her career to date.

Jack Straw: The Finance Director of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is Mr. D R Todd. He has no specialist finance qualifications. Three of his direct staff are qualified accountants (head of Resource Accounting Department; head of Financial Planning and Performance Department; and head of Internal Audit Department) and one is a qualified procurement specialist.
	Mr. Todd was appointed in 2004 after an inter-departmental competition by a panel which included the head of the Government Accountancy Service, Andrew Likierman. He has served in a number of positions in London and overseas. He worked in Her Majesty's (HM) Treasury from 1995 to 1997 and 1998 to 2001 and was HM ambassador to the Slovak Republic from 2001 to 2004.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Jack Straw: Minimum educational requirements relating to literacy and numeracy differ for each level of entry. New recruits to our support and junior management grades require GCSE grades A*-C in English Language and Mathematics. Policy entrants require a minimum 2:2 degree in any discipline and Diplomatic Service Economists require a 2:1 or above, or a postgraduate degree in economics, joint or mixed degrees are acceptable, provided that 50 per cent. of the course modules are in economics.
	In addition, during the recruitment process candidates at all the above entry points are required to take ability tests, which test verbal, numerical and reasoning skills.
	For specialist campaigns the Foreign and Commonwealth Office use the services of an occupational psychologist to design and administer assessment centres.
	For senior recruitment campaigns we are guided by the Office of the Civil Service Commissioner.

Embassies

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the UK embassies which cover other countries, giving in each case the other countries covered.

Jack Straw: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has 28 embassies and high commissions where the resident ambassador or high commissioner is accredited to one or more other countries in addition to their accreditation to the host state. The following table provides further details.
	Non-resident ambassadors and high commissioners offer a cost effective way of providing diplomatic representation in countries where we have chosen not to establish an embassy or high commission. They are widely used by other foreign services. Overall, the UK has resident representation in more countries than almost any other nation.
	
		
			 Embassy/High Commission Countries covered 
		
		
			 BE Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Djibouti 
			   
			 BE Almaty, Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan 
			   
			 BE Bangkok, Thailand Laos 
			   
			 BE Berne, Switzerland Liechtenstein 
			   
			 BE Buenos Aires, Argentina Paraguay 
			   
			 BE Dakar, Senegal Cape Verde 
			  Guinea-Bissau 
			  Mali 
			   
			 BE Guatemala City, Guatemala El Salvador 
			  Honduras 
			   
			 BE Kigali, Rwanda Burundi 
			   
			 BE Kinshasa, Congo DR Congo (Rep) 
			   
			 BE Luanda, Angola Sao Tome and Principe 
			   
			 BE Madrid, Spain Andorra 
			   
			 BE Rabat, Morocco Mauritania 
			 BE Rome, Italy San Marino 
			   
			 BE San Jose, Costa Rica Nicaragua 
			   
			 BE Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Haiti 
			   
			 BHC Abuja, Nigeria Benin 
			   
			 BHC Accra, Ghana Burkina Faso 
			  Niger 
			  Togo 
			   
			 BHC Bridgetown, Barbados Dominica 
			  St. Kitts and Nevis 
			   
			 BHC Colombo, Sri Lanka Maldives 
			   
			 BHC Freetown, Sierra Leone Liberia 
			   
			 BHC Georgetown, Guyana Surinam 
			   
			 BHC Kingston, Jamaica Bahamas 
			   
			 BHC Nairobi, Kenya Somalia 
			   
			 BHC Port Louis, Mauritius Comoros 
			  Madagascar 
			   
			 BHC Pretoria, South Africa Lesotho 
			  Swaziland 
			   
			 BHC Suva, Fiji Kiribati 
			  Marshall Islands 
			  Micronesia 
			  Nauru 
			  Palau 
			  Tuvalu 
			  Vanuatu 
			   
			 BHC Wellington, New Zealand Samoa 
			   
			 BHC Yaounde, Cameroon Central African Republic 
			  Chad 
			  Equatorial Guinea 
			  Gabon 
		
	
	Note:
	BE: British Embassy
	BHC: British High Commission

Heads of State (Visits)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on how many occasions in the last 30 years a country has had its Head of State invited to make a state visit to the UK within 10 years of the previous visit.

Jack Straw: There are six occasions of which I am aware. These were state visits by successive Heads of State of Nigeria in 1981 and 1989, France in 1976 and 1984, Saudi Arabia in 1981 and 1987, Norway in 1988 and 1994, South Africa in 1996 and 2001 and China in 1999 and 2005.

Iraq

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when each decree made by the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq expires; and if he will arrange for the texts of the decrees to be (a) placed in the Library and (b) posted on his Department's website.

Kim Howells: Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Orders remain in effect until they are properly amended or rescinded by the Iraqi Government.
	CPA orders can all be found on the CPA website at www.cpa-iraq.org. A link to this can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at www.fco.gov.uk.

Israel

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will call on the Israeli Government to co-operate with the International Atomic Energy Agency in an inspection programme of all appropriate sites in Israel.

Kim Howells: The Government take appropriate opportunities to discuss all aspects of non- proliferation with representatives of the Israeli Government. We have, on a number of occasions, called on Israel to accede to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation treaty, and to conclude a full scope safeguards agreement and additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency,
	The United Kingdom strongly supports the establishment of a middle east zone free of weapons of mass destruction, and their delivery systems, as set out in the Barcelona Declaration of 1995.

Middle East (Chemical/Biological Weapons)

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will support a programme of inspection, verification and monitoring of any stocks of chemical and biological weapons held by (a) Israel and (b) other states in the middle east.

Kim Howells: The United Kingdom strongly supports the establishment of a middle east zone free of weapons of mass destruction, and their delivery systems, as set out in the Barcelona Declaration of 1995.
	We fully support both the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention and the Chemical Weapons Convention and continue to work to achieve their universal adherence and implementation.

South Asia Earthquake

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to help British citizens to find information on the whereabouts of their relatives who may have been affected by the earthquake in South Asia.

Kim Howells: Since the devastating earthquake in Pakistan on 8 October, the Government have taken a number of measures to assist British citizens trying to find information of their relatives' whereabouts. A 24 hour helpline was set up at the British high commission in Islamabad, a reception desk was set up at Islamabad airport that was staffed for all incoming international flights until 17 October and a consular team was despatched to Muzaffarabad on 9 October to liaise with British Nationals and local authorities in the worst affected areas. A consular presence was maintained in Muzaffarabad until 15 October. Since then our Honorary Consul, resident at Mirpur, together with consular staff at the British High Commission in Islamabad have continued to pursue any missing person cases with local authorities.

Visas

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 September 2005 to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones), Official Report, column 2414W, on visas, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increased refusal rate between December 2004 and February 2005.

Kim Howells: The refusal rate for family-visit visas rose from 46.8 per cent. in December 2004 to 59.8 per cent. in January 2005, then fell to 40.7 per cent. in February.
	UKvisas has not conducted a formal assessment of the increase between December 2004 and January 2005.
	However, refusal rates during December and January can fluctuate due to higher last minute demand and lower quality of applications over the holiday period.

Zimbabwe

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from his Department visited Zimbabwe in the summer to report on conditions in that country for returned failed asylum seekers.

Kim Howells: A team of three Home Office and two Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials visited Harare between 4 and 10 September. The team was concerned with the issue of failed asylum seekers returned to Zimbabwe from the UK.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Gareth Thomas: The bulk of DFID recruitment is for advisory, specialist or senior managerial roles. A pre-requisite for these posts is a university education and relevant degree. New recruits to these roles normally undergo a competence based recruitment assessment. The literacy and numeracy of new recruits to junior administrative roles is tested using standard short answer tests.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the rates of employee absence in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Gareth Thomas: I refer the Member for Romford to the figures contained in the annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based. The most recent report for the calendar year 2003 was published on 1 November 2004, copies of which are available in the Library. This report and those for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management _of_the_civil_service/conditions_of_service/occupation al health/publications/index.asp
	DFID is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to putting in place the recommendations of the recently published "Managing Sickness Absence in the Public Sector".

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

Gareth Thomas: DFID assesses literacy and numeracy skills as part of its recruitment processes. It also undertakes a range of activities to promote the maintenance and development of literacy and numeracy skills, examples of which are list as follows:
	DFID has developed "brush up your skills" internal website pages. These provide learning tools, such as quizzes, to help staff assess their literacy and numeracy skills, as well as links to external providers of learning support on basic skills. Background information on Skills for Life and DFID's skills development plan can also be accessed on this site.
	A copy of the employer tool kit on Adult Basic Skills is made available to managers to help them support staff with basic skills needs.
	An annual in-house event in Adult Learning Week (last held in May 2005) is run with a focus on "brushing up your basic skills."
	DFID procurement processes have assessment criteria to ensure all contractors have the relevant skills at the appropriate level for the contract. The vast majority of these are advanced beyond basic numeracy and literacy skills.

Direct Budgetary Support

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department will (a) monitor and (b) disaggregate information on how bilateral aid given under the method of direct budgetary support is spent.

Hilary Benn: DFID provides Poverty Reduction Budget Support (PRBS) direct to partner governments' budgets to help implement their own poverty reduction strategies. A full fiduciary risk assessment is completed before PRBS is approved and this is regularly updated.
	Benchmarks are agreed at the outset against which to assess progress in poverty reduction and where necessary, improvements to public financial management, together with monitoring, reporting and audit arrangements. Progress is reviewed before planned PRBS instalments are confirmed and funds released.
	DFID does not disaggregate how individual PRBS commitments are spent. Statistics on International Development (SID) gives details of PRBS expenditure by country and by region and income groupings, at tables 11 and 12. SID also shows PRBS expenditure against policy priorities and millennium development goals, at tables 20 and 22. The latest version of SID document was published on 20 October and is available on-line and can be found located via the DFID website address at: www.dfid.gov.uk, copies of which will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses as soon as they are made available.

Food Emergencies

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what procedures his Department has in place to monitor early warning signals of food emergencies from (a) the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and (b) other bodies.

Gareth Thomas: DFID staff in the UK Representation to the UN Food and Agriculture Agencies in Rome and elsewhere monitor the Global Information and Early Warning System of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWSNET) of the US Agency for International Development. The UK Representation in Rome receives all food availability updates from the FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) and participates in regular discussions of impending and actual food emergencies with those agencies and other donors. DFID staff also regularly attend briefings on the joint FAO-WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Missions. To help improve the quality of information provided by WFP, DFID has funded the strengthening of WFP's Vulnerability Assessment Monitoring capacity.
	Furthermore, DFID has staff in many countries that have traditionally experienced food emergencies, particularly in Africa. DFID staff in country offices and on country desks in London keep close track of the food availability situation in countries at risk. They also exchange information with other donors, host Governments, international agencies and non-governmental organizations. DFID is also helping to build local capacity to detect potential food emergencies, notably through funding local vulnerability assessment committees in Southern Africa.

Food Emergencies

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of food emergencies in (a) Burkina Faso, (b) Burundi, (c) Chad, (d) the Central African Republic, (e) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (f) the Republic of Congo, (g) Cote d'Ivoire, (h) Eritrea, (i) Ethiopia, (j) Guinea, (k) Kenya, (l) Lesotho, (m) Liberia, (n) Malawi, (o) Mali, (p) Mauritania, (q) Niger, (r) Sierra Leone, (s) Somalia, (t) Sudan, (u) Swaziland, (v) Tanzania, (w) Uganda and (x) Zimbabwe, with particular reference to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Africa report of September.

Hilary Benn: DFID monitors the evolving food-security situation across Africa through our network of country offices, our humanitarian advisers, and a wide range of specialist partners, including NGOs, the UN and Red Cross agencies. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO)'s report is an important source of information, based primarily on food production. DFID takes this into account in making an overall assessment of the humanitarian situation, while also looking at vulnerability, access to food, coping mechanisms, nutritional status and other indicators.
	In Southern Africa (including Malawi, Swaziland and Zimbabwe), DFID has invested heavily in the vulnerability assessment committees (VACs), the main tool used by all partners, including national governments, to assess food emergencies. Based on the latest VAC assessments and other partners' surveys, DFID generally concurs with the broad findings in the FAO report. However, rather than
	"12 million people in need of emergency food assistance",
	we judge that there are 10.7 million people in the region facing food shortages. Many of these people will require emergency food aid, but some will manage until the next harvest using their own coping strategies and other non-food assistance. In Southern Africa, in response to our assessments, DFID has allocated a total of £56 million for humanitarian assistance and will continue to monitor the situation closely.
	In West Africa, DFID has just undertaken its third humanitarian assessment mission since June, to the Sahel (including Burkina, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger). Based on these findings, and those of other partners, we concur with the FAO's September analysis. More recently we have judged agricultural production from the ongoing Sahel harvest to be high, bringing relief and recovery to many areas, but with pockets of continuing need due to localised shortages or the continuing consequences of the recent crisis. In the Mano river countries (including Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone), insecurity and population movements have certainly undermined food security, as also suggested by FAO. In both sub-regions, DFID has delivered more than £9 million of humanitarian assistance this year to help address these concerns.
	In East Africa., DFID has undertaken humanitarian assessments in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Humanitarian advisers based in Sudan constantly monitor the humanitarian situation there, including emerging food crises. The UK is spending £70 million on its humanitarian assistance in Sudan this year. In Ethiopia, DFID is contributing £43 million to a national safety nets programme providing food and cash to poor families. Eritrea continues to be affected by serious food shortages. It is however, becoming increasingly difficult for relief agencies to operate in the country, affecting the quality of data and the options for humanitarian assistance. The situation in Somalia is also of great concern as increasing insecurity in the grain producing areas of the south reduces the availability of food. Uganda and Tanzania have had good harvests. Civilians displaced by conflict in the north of Uganda, and refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Tanzania, are unable to support themselves and require continuing assistance, for which DFID is providing support.
	In Central Africa, DFID assessments have been undertaken in the DRC and Burundi. We agree with the FAO's assessment that while production has generally been at or above average, serious food shortages remain among some groups, notably displaced people in the DRC. The Republic of Congo normally produces little food, being reliant on imports. The Central African Republic had a good harvest last year, but the basic indicators remain very poor. In addition insecurity in the north has led to difficulties for the population there, and has resulted in people seeking refuge in southern Chad. Chad also experienced an average year in terms of food production, but refugees there from Darfur, and Central African Republic are not able to produce or purchase their own food. DFID has an assessment team in Chad looking at whether additional support is required over and above the £5 million already provided by DFID this year.

Kashmir

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has held with the Pakistan Government about long-term assistance following the Kashmir earthquake.

Hilary Benn: I met the Prime Minister and President of Pakistan on 20 October in Islamabad during my visit, to see the damage in Muzaffarabad and Balakot and to discuss what additional assistance was required.
	An Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority (ERRA) has been set up with the Prime Minister as chair. The ERRA has asked the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to lead a high level needs assessment team over the next three weeks to prepare an outline plan and funding assessment for long term reconstruction needs. A report will be available by mid-November and a conference on reconstruction will be held in Islamabad on 18 November.
	A Joint Government of Pakistan, major donors and the United Nations Steering Committee meets regularly to assess information, advise on lessons learned from other disasters and discuss key policy issues on, for example, death and injury compensation, new town development, and interim children's education. DFID's country head is a member of the Steering Committee.
	DFID has an expanding long-term development programme in Pakistan with £74 million committed this financial year. Areas for support include primary health, education, water and sanitation, good governance and democracy, and income growth.
	DFID's programme operates at the federal level, and in the Provinces of Punjab and North West Frontier (NWFP). We have already met with the Government of the NWFP to agree changing priorities in the light of the earthquake.
	We will consider our response in Azad Jammu and Kasmir after we have been able to review the conclusions of the ERRA reconstruction needs assessment.

Low-income Countries

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on his Department's progress towards meeting its target for 2005–06 of having 90 per cent. of its budget spent in low income countries.

Hilary Benn: DFID has made steady progress towards its 2005–06 target to increase the proportion of DFID's bilateral programme going to low income countries to 90 per cent. by 2005–06. In 2003–04 we achieved 74 per cent. and in 2004–05, was achieved 83 per cent.
	Planned allocations for 2005–06 put DFID on track to meet the target and progress will be monitored throughout the financial year.

Swaziland

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid the UK provided to Swaziland in real terms in each of the last 20 years.

Hilary Benn: The UK has provided the following aid to Swaziland in real terms:
	
		UK total bilateral gross public expenditure in real terms (2004)
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1985 6,848 
			 1986 4,899 
			 1987–88 4,505 
			 1988–89 3,990 
			 1989–90 6,745 
			 1990–91 7,707 
			 1991–92 4,839 
			 1992–93 5,621 
			 1993–94 10,712 
			 1994–95 3,313 
			 1995–96 18,139 
			 1996–97 11,608 
			 1997–98 4,050 
			 1998–99 4,558 
			 1999–2000 3,967 
			 2000–01 2,933 
			 2001–02 1,387 
			 2002–03 1,408 
			 2003–04 926 
			 2004–05 665 
		
	
	
		Total imputed UK share of multilateral official development assistance in real terms (2004)
		
			  £000 
		
		
			 1985 1,080 
			 1986 940 
			 1987 1,570 
			 1988 1,490 
			 1989 1,960 
			 1990 1,650 
			 1991 1,860 
			 1992 1,880 
			 1993 1,380 
			 1994 2,280 
			 1995 1,200 
			 1996 1,230 
			 1997 810 
			 1998 1,090 
			 1999 900 
			 2000 1,230 
			 2001 2,470 
			 2002 760 
			 2003 830 
		
	
	In addition, since 2001, approximately £1.7 million of DFID's contribution to the Global Fund to fight HIV, TB and Malaria was spent in Swaziland. For the same period DFID also disbursed approximately £2 million that will benefit Swaziland through regional programmes.

Uganda

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to Uganda in 2005–06; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has set aside £71.6 million for its programme to Uganda in 2005–06. This assistance is focused on support for the implementation of Uganda's Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP). It includes an allocation of £50 million for Poverty Reduction Budget Support. DFID is also supporting projects which will help to improve governance and the capacity of the Government to implement their budget effectively. These include support for public service reform, public financial management, improved revenue mobilisation, anti-corruption institutions and Uganda's transition to multi-party politics. DFID has separate projects to support service provision in the key areas of health, HIV/AIDS, and water and sanitation. We are helping civil society and the private sector to contribute to the objectives of the PEAP. Substantial resources are set aside for humanitarian assistance and conflict resolution in northern Uganda.

UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his G8 counterparts on the funding of the UN central emergency revolving fund.

Hilary Benn: At Gleneagles, G8 leaders welcomed the intention of donors to explore improving multilateral funding mechanisms such as the central emergency revolving fund. I continue to hold discussions with G8 development ministers about this.

UN Central Emergency Revolving Fund

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding each of the G8 nations have (a) pledged, (b) committed and (c) spent on the UN central emergency revolving fund.

Hilary Benn: The UK has pledged $70 million (£40 million) to a revised and expanded central emergency revolving fund (CERF), this will increase further by $1 for every $3 donated by others once the total has reached $210 million, up to a maximum UK contribution of $100 million. The UN Office for the co-ordination of humanitarian affairs is preparing a detailed report on the accountability, governance, and management arrangements of the revised CERF for the UN General Assembly that will inform its consideration of the proposal in November. If approved, the revised CERF should be open for contributions in January 2006. So far no other G8 nation has pledged funds.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans the Government have to send more British troops to Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: It remains our intention to deploy the Headquarters Group of the ARRC to command ISAF for nine months from May 2006. Additionally, from next April we plan to move our forces from the north of Afghanistan to a base in Helmand province and establish a British-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, plus supporting forces, at Lashkar Gah as part of NATO expansion across southern Afghanistan.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will make a formal announcement to Parliament once we know the detailed force structure for our deployment to the south.

Americk Hayes

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) disciplinary and (b) remedial action took place in response to the bullying of Fusilier Americk Hayes at Catterick barracks.

Adam Ingram: The Service Police Investigation is complete and their findings are now subject to legal consideration. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.

Ammunition Manufacturers

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which bulk small arms ammunition manufacturers are (a) operating in the UK and (b) British owned.

Adam Ingram: The only bulk supplier providing more than one million rounds per annum of small arms ammunition to the MOD is BAE Systems Land Systems, which operates in the United Kingdom and is a British company.

Deaths Investigations

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued on the co-operation to be offered by (a) British army units and (b) British military police posted abroad to civilian police forces in the conduct of investigations into deaths of army personnel.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch (RMP(SIB)) normally conduct all investigations into serious criminal offences committed by or against British Service personnel including incidents resulting in the death of Army personnel abroad. The SIB is a fully professional investigative agency conforming to Home Office standards and required by statute to follow civilian police force procedures. Jurisdiction related to investigations into deaths of Army personnel overseas is dependent on the various host nations' arrangements but is principally carried out by the RMP(SIB) who also act as the Coroner's Officer abroad. Investigative guidance to members of the Royal Military Police is contained within the Provost Manual.
	The Queen's Regulations for the Army provide commanding officers with direction on the command and administration of their units, including matters related to deaths of Army personnel.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Don Touhig: Literacy and numeracy assessments in the armed services are conducted in either the recruiting process or at an early stage of initial training. Additionally, all Ministry of Defence personnel have the opportunity to undertake an assessment of their literacy and numeracy abilities at an electronic learning centre. We recognise that literacy and numeracy weaknesses exist across the Department and we are addressing these as a high priority.
	The Army is currently assisting DfES to develop its new literacy and numeracy initial assessment tools and when this becomes available all armed services will adopt this for use in the recruiting stage. The tool will also be used more widely to support the Department's intention to establish a baseline of its literacy and numeracy abilities across the whole of the armed services between April 2006 and March 2007. We are examining in parallel, the potential use of the new DfES initial assessment tool for new entrants to the MOD civil service.

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the rates of employee absence in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Don Touhig: The following tables show the rates of worker sickness absence for non-industrial and industrial civil servants in the Ministry of Defence since 1997.
	
		Non-industrial civil servants
		
			  Sickness absence rate(4) 
		
		
			 1997(5) 8.4 
			 1998(5) 8.6 
			 1999(6) 8.1 
			 2000(6) 7.9 
			 2001(7) (8)— 
			 2002(6) 7.3 
			 2003(6) 7.6 
			 2004(6) 7.3 
			 Financial year  
			 2004–05(6) 7.3 
		
	
	(4) Sickness absence rates are based on Full-time Equivalent (FTE) working days lost. For example, if a part-time employee (working 50 per cent. full-time hours) is sick for seven calendar days, this is five working days lost and 2.5 FTE working days lost.
	(5) Excludes non-industrial Ministry of Defence Staff in Trading Funds and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. Rates are from the Annual Report, "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", which is published by the Cabinet Office.
	(6) Excludes non-industrial Ministry of Defence staff in Trading Funds and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. Rates are from UK Defence Statistics 2005, Table 2.36, and are for calendar years (1 January to 31December) 1999 to 2004 and the financial year (1 April to 31 March) for 2004–05 . The rates shown have been formed using a standardisation technique which involves adjusting unreasonably long absence lengths and removing obviously incorrect records.
	(7) There is no sickness absence information for industrial Ministry of Defence staff available for 2000 for data quality reasons.
	(8) No reliable data available.
	
		Industrial civil servants
		
			  Sickness absence rate(9) 
		
		
			 1997(10) (13)13.7 
			 1998(10) (13)16.3 
			 1999(11) 12.9 
			 2000(12) (14)— 
			 2001(11) 14.8 
			 2002(11) 13.4 
			 2003(11) 12.5 
			 2004(11) 13.2 
			 Financial Year  
			 2004–05(11) 13.0 
		
	
	(9) Sickness absence rates are based on Full-time Equivalent (FTE) working days lost. For example, if a part-time employee (working 50 per cent. full-time hours) is sick for seven calendar days, this is five working days lost and 2.5 FTE working days lost.
	(10) Excludes industrial Ministry of Defence Staff in Trading Funds and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. Sickness absence records for industrial staff are not as robust as for non-industrial staff and the early years are marked as provisional.
	(11) Excludes industrial Ministry of Defence staff in Trading Funds and Royal Fleet Auxiliaries. Rates are from UK Defence Statistics 2005, Table 2.36, and are for calendar years (1 January to 31December) 1997 to 2004 and the financial year (1 April to 31 March) for 2004–05 . The rates shown have been formed using a standardisation technique which involves adjusting unreasonably long absence lengths and removing obviously incorrect records.
	(12) There is no sickness absence information for industrial Ministry of Defence staff available for 2000 for data quality reasons.
	(13) Provisional.
	(14) No reliable data available.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

Don Touhig: Literacy and numeracy training to armed service personnel is provided through a combination of internal tutors and by arrangements with colleges of further education and private providers. The majority of this training is delivered on Ministry of Defence sites during working hours.
	Literacy and numeracy training is also embedded in the apprenticeship and advanced apprenticeship programmes offered in a wide range of trades across the armed services and the MOD civil service. In the year to 31 March 2005, some 6,500 personnel completed these schemes.
	An internal network of over 140 electronic learning centres provide opportunities for all MOD personnel to pursue literacy and numeracy courses and sit on-line tests. In addition, MOD civil servants may be given time off to attend courses at a local college during working hours.

Discharge Statistics

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel (a) opted for an early discharge from duties, (b) opted against extending their service and (c) have been medically discharged in the last 12 months.

Don Touhig: In the 12 month period ending 1 August 2005,12,640 service personnel applied for premature voluntary release (PVR) and 9,200 service personnel outflowed on PVR.
	PVR is defined as all applications and exits from trained personnel that are generated by the individual before their time expiry. Types of engagement and procedures for premature release differ between the services.
	For the naval service data is provided for those who were specifically given the option of extending their service, in the 12 months to 1 August 2005.
	
		Officers
		
			  Offered Accepted Didn't accept 
		
		
			 Total 320 310 (15)— 
			 IC(16) to CC(17) 250 240 (15)— 
			 CC(17) to FTC(18)(5508240019) 70 70 (15)— 
		
	
	(15) Denotes zero or rounded to zero
	(16) Initial Commission (usually 6 to 8 years)
	(17) Career Commission (to latter of 16 years or age 38)
	(18) Full Term Commission (age based depending on rank)
	(19) Extended Service is only offered to personnel who put themselves forward and no record is kept of personnel who could have put themselves forward, but chose not to.
	
		Other ranks: 1st open engagement (22 years) to 2nd open engagement -- (extra five or 10 years)
		
			  Offered Accepted Didn't accept 
		
		
			 Total 1,560 1,310 230 
			 Royal Marines (Dec Board) 230 180 30 
			 Royal Navy (May Board) 1,330 1,130 200 
		
	
	Not all individuals are given the option of extending their service, and it is not possible to identify how many people would or would not have opted against extending their service if given the choice. The option to extend service can be offered over a year before the current service is due to end.
	The Army has no mechanism for recording when an individual chooses not to extend their service.
	For the Royal Air Force, in the vast majority of cases it is not possible to tell whether an individual reaching the end of an agreed period of service has been offered the opportunity of further service. It is consequently not possible to tell how many personnel have turned down any offers.
	In the 12 month period ending 1 August 2005, 1,180 service personnel outflowed on a medical discharge.

Harrier GR9

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to revise the in-service date for the Harrier GR9; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: There are currently no plans to revise the in-service date for Harrier GR9.

HMS Victory

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average annual cost of maintaining HMS Victory has been over the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The average annual cost of maintaining HMS Victory over the last five complete financial years was some £1.1 million. This figure includes the cost of preservation, maintenance and restoration work.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether commanding officers in Iraq have been given authority to enter Iran in order to close off suspected arms supply routes.

John Reid: No.

Iraq

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reservists in Iraq have been classed as unfit since March 2003 and have since been classed as fit for mobilisation; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Manning Control Reviews

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has sought a legal opinion on the compatibility of administrative discharge as a result of Manning Control reviews with (a) the Employment Rights Act 1996, (b) other employment legislation and (c) European law.

Don Touhig: holding answer 25 October 2005
	I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Manning Control Reviews

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what manning control reviews have been conducted in each of the last five years.

Don Touhig: holding answer 25 October 2005
	I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 333W and 3 March 2004, Official Report, column 961W, to the hon. Member for Hereford (Mr. Keetch).
	There have been no discharges as a result of manning control point review since April 2002.

Manning Control Reviews

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued on the conduct of manning control reviews; when the last occasion was on which such a review was the subject of a direction in daily orders; and if he will place copies of such (a) guidance and (b) directions in the Library.

Don Touhig: holding answer 25 October 2005
	I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Nuclear Missiles (Security)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to his statement in the House of 7 July 2005, Official Report, column 481, on defence in the world, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of nuclear explosion in the UK arising from fissile material stolen in the former Soviet Union.

John Reid: Threats from all forms of terrorism, including nuclear, are kept under constant review. The UK is currently undertaking a series of projects under the Global Partnership to enhance material security across the former Soviet Union. In addition to Russian funded security enhancements, foreign-funded programmes to enhance nuclear safety and security at sites across the FSU have resulted in significant improvements to the overall security of fissile material in Russia.

Nuclear Reactors

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research into (a) fission and (b) fusion reactors his Department has funded in each year since 1975.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has not funded any pure research into fission or fusion reactors since 1975 and has no aspiration to change from the established pressurised water reactor type of technology employed in Royal Navy nuclear submarines.

Sustained Deployments

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last had discussions with the chief of the defence staff about the availability and preparedness of the armed forces for sustained deployment; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 656W to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average length of tour of a Trident submarine was in the last period for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The average length of a Trident patrol is between 70 and 80 days at sea. There is no set patrol length as this is varied between each individual patrol.

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish a Green Paper setting out the options for replacement of Trident.

John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 14 October 2005, Official Report, column 619W, to the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Mr. Moore).

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the staff complement is of a Trident submarine, broken down by (a) rank and (b) function.

John Reid: The complement of a Trident Submarine is 17 officers and 134 ratings broken down by function and rank as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Warfare department  
			 Commander 1 
			 Lieutenant Commander 1 
			 Lieutenant 6 
			 Chief Petty Officer 4 
			 Petty Officer 4 
			 Leading Hand 9 
			 Able Rate 19 
			   
			 Marine engineering  
			 Lieutenant Commander 1 
			 Lieutenant 3 
			 Warrant Officer 1 1 
			 Warrant Officer 2 5 
			 Chief Petty Officer 11 
			 Petty Officer 8 
			 Leading Hand 6 
			 Able Rate 9 
			   
			 Weapon engineering  
			 Lieutenant Commander 1 
			 Lieutenant 2 
			 Warrant Officer 2 3 
			 Chief Petty Officer 8 
			 Petty Officer 9 
			 Leading Hand 7 
			 Able Rate 13 
			   
			 Supply department  
			 Lieutenant 1 
			 Chief Petty Officer 1 
			 Petty Officer 2 
			 Leading Hand 5 
			 Able Rate 8 
			   
			 Medical department  
			 Lieutenant 1 
			 Petty Officer 1 
			 Leading Hand 1

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the design life is of a Trident (a) nuclear warhead and (b) missile.

John Reid: Chapter 4 of the 1998 Strategic Defence Review indicated that we needed to ensure we could sustain Trident in-service for up to 30 years.

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Trident missiles and (b) nuclear warheads for those missiles are stockpiled in (i) the UK and (ii) the US.

John Reid: As stated in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the UK purchased 58 Trident II (D5) missiles. Missiles are either deployed onboard UK submarines or held ashore at the Royal Naval Armament Depot Coulport, on a temporary basis, or in the United States at the Strategic Weapons Facility Atlantic, as part of a shared pool of US/UK missiles. In line with the policy set out in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review, the UK maintains a stockpile of fewer than 200 operationally available nuclear warheads, 48 of which are onboard the single submarine on deterrent patrol. The remaining warheads are held ashore in the UK; none is stored in the United States.

Trident

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how long it takes to target the missiles on board the Trident submarine fleet.

John Reid: All the UK's Trident missiles have been de-targeted since 1994, and the submarine on deterrent patrol is normally at several days notice to fire. The missiles can be targeted in sufficient time to meet any foreseeable requirement.

Warships

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Swan Hunter has retained lead ship status on the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) project; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Following a contract amendment in 2001, Swan Hunter acts as Lead Yard Supplier and Design Authority for the Landing Ship Dock (Auxiliary) project. As such, the company is responsible not only for the construction of its own two vessels but also for delivery of design information to BAE SYSTEMS for the construction of their two vessels.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Active People Survey

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much (a) statutory funding and (b) National Lottery funding Sport England plans to spend on the Active People survey; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The cost of the Active People survey will be met by £6 million funding from the National Lottery.

Active People Survey

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Sport England plans to spend on the Active People survey, broken down by main cost area; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The survey is being carried out by Ipsos Mori on behalf of Sport England. The majority of the costs are connected to the fieldwork associated with the interview process. The approximate breakdown of costs are:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 Fieldwork 5.64 million 
			 Pilot survey and pre-survey activities 72,000 
			 Project management 132,000 
			 Evaluation of data and other post-survey activities 156,000

Active People Survey

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when the Sport England Active People survey is expected to be published; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The survey will be carried out over a 12-month period between October 2005 and October 2006. The results of the survey will be published in November 2006.

Active People Survey

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the objectives of the Sport England Active People survey are; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The survey will provide baseline data at the local authority level on participation in sport.
	One of the main purposes of the survey is to inform local authority performance, which may have potential to inform the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA). Local authorities will also be able to use the data to inform their policy development and planning, and to target specific areas of improvement.

Active People Survey

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the sample size of Sport England's Active People survey will be; how this sample size was decided; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The sample size of the Active People Survey is 354,000, comprising 1,000 completed interviews per local authority area. This sample size is the minimum needed to provide statistically valid data on participation levels at the local authority level.

Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter of 22 August from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire (Ref: CMS 21128/DC).

Richard Caborn: I wrote to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire on 24 October 2005.

Digital Television (Hertfordshire)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of (a) people and (b) households in (i) Hemel Hempstead constituency and (ii) Hertfordshire can receive analogue but not digital television signals.

James Purnell: The vast majority of households in the UK can, with the appropriate equipment, receive digital television services via at least one of digital satellite, digital terrestrial, cable or DSL broadband.
	We do not have a breakdown of coverage by constituency but the Government are committed to ensuring that at digital switchover everyone in the UK who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems.

Drinks Pricing

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has held with representatives of licensees with regard to the pricing of soft drinks; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: holding answer 25 October 2005
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not held any meetings with representatives of licensees to discuss the specific issue of the pricing of soft drinks.
	However, in implementing the licensing reforms and as a partner taking forward the alcohol harm reduction strategy, my Department continues to work with industry representatives to ensure that retailers promote sensible drinking. Proper provision of soft drinks is important in this context, and in particular we welcome initiatives such as "I'll be Des", which encourages those who are driving to stick to soft drinks.

Licensing Act

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the establishment of the Licensing Fees Review Panel.

James Purnell: The Independent Licensing Fees Review Panel, chaired by Sir Les Elton, was established in summer 2005. The panel will consider whether the licensing fees, set by central Government, enable licensing authorities to recover fully their legitimate administration, inspection and enforcement costs, while at the same time achieve arrangements which are fair to business, non commercial organisations and to other individuals seeking licences. Over the last few months, the panel has commissioned evidence from around 70 stakeholder organisations touched by the new fees regime. The panel will deliver an interim report shortly, followed by a final report in autumn 2006 detailing findings and where appropriate making recommendations for the development of the licensing fees regime.

Listed Buildings (VAT)

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reducing the effects of VAT on repair costs to owners of listed buildings; and if she will make a statement.

David Lammy: My officials have had regular discussions with Her Majesty's Treasury on this issue, including in preparation of the Government response to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) Select Committee report on the role of historic buildings in urban regeneration in 2004. Together with ODPM, we will keep the impact of VAT on the repair, refurbishment and maintenance of buildings under review, but to date the case for change is unproven. Final decisions on transition issues are a matter for the Treasury.

Music Manifesto

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the music manifesto.

David Lammy: The music manifesto, which celebrated its first anniversary in July, sets out a series of shared aims for music education for the next three to five years. The Government remains fully committed to the ambitions set out in the Manifesto.
	Over 360 music organisations have now become signatories to the document, rising from 60 at the time of its launch. Over 140 pledges of programmes and resources have also been made.
	My Department continues to work very closely with the Department for Education and Skills on this initiative, jointly funding the role of music manifesto champion, a position currently held by Marc Jaffrey.
	The three workstrands identified for focused work by the signatories over the next 12 months are: workforce development; a national singing and vocal strategy; and the coordination of the formal and non-formal sectors.

National Lottery

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list lottery funds made available to fund projects in British overseas territories in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: I am not aware of any funds from the national lottery which have been made available to projects in British overseas territories. The distributing bodies for national lottery funds are constituted to distribute lottery funding either on a UK wide basis or in a specific home nation of the United Kingdom.
	The big lottery fund's international grants programme, which is currently being developed, will support the work of UK based charities and voluntary organisations working abroad.

National Lottery

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the projects which have been unsuccessful when applying for a grant from the lottery fund in the last year for which figures are available; and for what reasons they were unsuccessful.

Richard Caborn: This Department has never collected comprehensive information on either the number or value of applications for lottery grants received by the distributing bodies.

National Lottery

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many winning national lottery tickets resulted in a pay out of (a) £50,000 to £499,999.99, (b) £500,000 to £999,999.99 and (c) more than £1,000,000 since 2001; and what the total amount of money paid out to winners was in each of these categories.

Richard Caborn: The information is as follows.
	Since 2001:
	(a) 6,252 winning national lottery tickets resulted in a payout of £50,000 to £499,999.99. The total amount of money paid to winners was £818,239,766.08;
	(b) 250 winning national lottery tickets resulted in a payout of £500,000 to £999,999.99, The total amount of money paid to winners was £177,319,376.30; and
	(c) 847 winning national lottery tickets resulted in a payout of more than £1,000,000. The total amount of money paid to winners was £2,653,415,644.80.
	These figures include draw based games and scratchcards.

Playing Field Sales

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether it is her policy to end the sale of playing fields; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Government are committed to protecting playing fields wherever possible. Recently published statistics show that the legislative changes which we have introduced are working. In 2003–04 there was a reduction in the number of playing field losses to non-sporting developments, compared with the 2002–03 figures, and a net overall gain in school and community playing field provision. This is the first year that we can say that more playing fields have been created than lost.
	We will continue to explore ways in which the legislation can be tightened further so that even more playing fields can be protected.

Private Finance Initiative

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what steps her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to make the private finance initiative contracting process conducted by her Department more accountable and transparent in terms of environmental sustainability;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of (a) the sustainability and environmental impacts of private finance initiative (PFI) projects undertaken by her Department and (b) the effectiveness of the PFI process followed by the Department in delivering environmentally sustainable projects.

James Purnell: The Department have not undertaken any PFI projects, nor does it have any current plans to do so.

Private Finance Initiative

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that private finance initiative projects for which her Department is responsible create the minimum of environmental damage.

James Purnell: The Department will ensure that any future PFI projects that it undertakes will follow DEFRA and Office of Government Commerce (OGC) guidance on sustainable development. The Department will also ensure that sustainability and environmental issues are considered when assessing the technical capacity of potential suppliers; and that environmental and sustainability requirements form part of its specifications in cases where the nature of the work is liable to have an impact on the environment.

Sustainable Development

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment is made (a) of the environmental impact and (b) against sustainable development criteria of bids for contracts awarded by her Department; who is responsible for making such assessments; and whether these assessments are published.

James Purnell: The Department requires bidders to complete a pre-qualification questionnaire which incorporates questions about their environmental capabilities. This is assessed prior to selection of candidates to participate in the tendering process.
	The tender specification explains the Department's sustainability requirements. Sustainability criteria are weighted accordingly to the nature of the work and assessments are made by a team selected for their knowledge and experience in areas of the bid requirements, which may include environmental impact and/or sustainable development. Assessments are not published but are provided to bidders on request through a de-briefing process.

Swimming

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to increase participation in swimming; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: £3.6 million is being provided by Sport England to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) for the financial year 2005–06 through whole sport plans. Approximately half of this funding is to boost grassroots participation in swimming. Sport England is also working with Department of Health and the ASA to draw together best practice guidance in the provision of free swimming for key target groups, including children and older people to increase community participation.
	Swimming also has a significant role to play within the national strategy for PE, school sport and club links, delivered jointly with the Department for Education and Skills. We have recently carried out a pilot programme which tested out how best to support those children who reach the end of key stage 2 and are not able to swim 25metres. We intend to implement this programme nationally from April 2006 and over £5 million of funding has been allocated to support the scheme in 2006–07 and 2007–08. A further £485,000 is being invested in 2005–06 with the ASA through the school to community programmes; club links and step into sport (SiS), which are aimed at sustaining participation outside school hours.

Swimming

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent meetings she has had regarding parental supervision of children in swimming pools; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: In April this year, the Secretary of State convened a meeting of all interested parties to agree a package of measures aimed at resolving the issue of the blanket application of restrictive admissions policies at swimming pools. Following the meeting, officials have worked closely with the relevant organisations to deliver the agreed measures. On 8 September this year, the measures were published by my Department and implemented by relevant organisations. A copy of my Department's press statement has been placed the Libraries of both Houses. It can also be found at the following web link: www.culture.gov.uk/global/press_notices/archive_2005.

Timber

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to fund the maintenance of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber within the Department.

James Purnell: The Department has no current plans to fund the maintenance of the Central Point of Expertise on Timber.

Timber

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the refurbishment projects in her Department that (a) are in progress and (b) will start in the next six months; what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure timber from legal and sustainable sources; and whether guidance will be issued to contractors on each of these projects on ensuring that the timber used on site during refurbishment comes from legal and sustainable sources.

James Purnell: The Department plans to refurbish its main building in Cockspur Street commencing early in the next financial year. The Department has a comprehensive procurement manual which contains guidelines on purchase of timber and timber based products to ensure that they are obtained from sustainable sources. Contractors employed by the Department are required to follow these guidelines.

Timber

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether her Department's procurement policy covers timber used on and in the construction of departmental building projects; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: The Department has a comprehensive procurement manual which contains guidelines on purchase of timber and timber based products to ensure that they are obtained from legal and sustainable sources. Contractors employed by the Department are also required to follow these guidelines.

Tourism

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to increase inbound tourism; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: My Department works actively to promote tourism both domestic and inbound. At a national level, marketing and other work to promote the sector is the responsibility of VisitBritain, which in 2004 received grant-in-aid funding of £49 million.
	VisitBritain's strategy to increase the value of inbound tourism and visitor numbers includes focusing effort on those markets and segments with the greatest potential for growth. For example, investment has been targeted on countries such as China, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea and Thailand.
	In 2004 inbound visitor numbers grew by 12 per cent. on the previous year to reach a record 27.8 million, and spending by visitors was worth nearly £13 billion to the UK economy.

Tourism

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the UK's tourism deficit.

James Purnell: The UK's tourism deficit in 2004 was £17.3 billion. National tourism deficits in the developed world reflect a number of factors including rising prosperity and cheaper air flights. By way of comparison, Germany's deficit stood at £27.1 billion in 2003.
	More significant is our industry's impressive performance in attracting domestic and inbound tourists, for example in 2004 inbound visitor numbers grew by 12 per cent. on the previous year to reach a record 27.8 million, and spending by visitors was worth nearly £13 billion to the UK economy.

Tourism

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will assess the impact of a national road pricing system on tourism; and if she will make a statement.

James Purnell: My Department will work closely with the Department for Transport to assess the impact on tourism of any future proposals for a national road pricing system. As outlined in the Government's White Paper "The Future of Transport: An Overview of Transport Policy until 2030" any decision about whether and when to implement such a scheme is likely to be some years away.

Parliamentary Questions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department follows on answering written parliamentary questions.

David Lammy: I am arranging for copies of the most recent version of departmental guidance on answering written parliamentary questions to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. All guidance follows Cabinet Office guidelines.
	Guidance on answering is issued to DCMS officials with each new written parliamentary question.
	Additional and more detailed guidance for officials on answering written parliamentary questions is available on the DCMS Intranet.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Accession State Worker Registration Scheme

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the passport of Mr. Andrej Nagin, which was sent to his Department in connection with Mr. Nagin's application for a registration certificate under the Accession State Worker Registration Scheme, and receipt of which was confirmed in writing by the Home Office on 8 August will be returned to him.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 26 October 2005
	Mr. Andrej Nagin's passport was returned to him on 25 October 2005.

Air Weapons

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a licensing system for air-powered weapons.

Hazel Blears: Such a scheme would place a considerable administrative burden on the police and would be disproportionate in terms of its effect on legitimate users when measured against the benefits in reducing crime. We have, however, included various measures in the Violent Crime Reduction Bill which will further tighten existing controls on air weapons, including a requirement for them to be sold through registered firearms dealers. The majority of air weapons have no serial number or identification mark making them very difficult to record for the purposes of a licensing scheme.
	Possession of an air weapon is not an offence and so a general amnesty as such would not be appropriate. Individual police forces can, and do, encourage people to hand in unwanted air weapons, particularly when there is a problem of misuse in their force area

Air Weapons

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidences of violence involving the use of air weapons there were in (a) Houghton and Washington East and (b) the Northumbria police service area in the last year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: Northumbria police recorded 80 violent offences involving the use of air weapons in the year to March 2004. The corresponding figures for Houghton and Washington, East is not available centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in (a) Lancashire and (b) Ribble Valley in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk.

Antisocial Behaviour

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in Gravesham; and how many have been breached.

Hazel Blears: The number of Antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, from one June 2000 to 31 December 2004 (latest available), as reported to the Home Office, where restrictions have been imposed in the local government area of Gravesham borough council, is three. Data on convictions for breach of an ASBO issued in Gravesham is not available.

Antisocial Behaviour

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in each constituency in the UK.

Hazel Blears: The antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) statistical collection is not available at constituency level. However, from copies of ASBOs received since 1 June 2000 we are able to determine the local government authority areas in which restrictions are imposed. A table showing the breakdown by local authority area of the number of ASBOs issued in England and Wales, as notified to the Home Office, up to 31 December 2004 (latest available), is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk
	Information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Antisocial Behaviour

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in (a) Romford, (b) Essex and (c) London since 1999.

Hazel Blears: A table giving a breakdown by the local government authority area in which prohibitions are imposed within antisocial behaviour orders is available on the Crime Reduction website at www.crimereduction.gov.uk Within Greater London data are given at London borough area level only.

Antisocial Behaviour

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the 100 antisocial behaviour response courts.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	Following their establishment in summer 2004, a survey of the original 12 antisocial behaviour response courts was undertaken in autumn 2005. This survey took the form of court visits and meetings with representatives from the courts and other local agencies. The evidence gathered was used in the development of the antisocial behaviour response court model and in the production of a good practice guide.
	Since the roll out of the model across England and Wales and the establishment of 154 antisocial behaviour response courts, further surveys have been undertaken. Areas have been required to complete a written self-assessment, outlining how they have implemented the framework. Interviews have been conducted with local Crown Prosecution Service representatives to provide an independent view of progress. A multi-agency conference on the courts and antisocial behaviour last week provided a further opportunity for feedback on the performance of the antisocial behaviour response courts.

Antisocial Behaviour

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the costs of the antisocial behaviour response courts have been, broken down by (a) court and (b) month since their inception.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	With support from staff working at the headquarters of Her Majesty's Courts Service, it has been possible to establish the antisocial behaviour response courts on a costs neutral basis.
	Antisocial behaviour response courts take existing case loads and process them in accordance with six core principles: close inter-agency working; swift and effective case management; specialist sessions, where appropriate; targeted training for magistrates; awareness of local issues and concerns; and high level witness care. To support this, each area has an antisocial behaviour champion, who undertakes this role alongside existing responsibilities.
	Within the framework outlined above, it is a matter for local management to decide how best to utilise existing resources in order to meet local needs.

Communication Data

Eric Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the option for a clearing house model is being considered in respect of the Acquisition and Disclosure of Communication Data Draft Code of Practice; whether such a model will be included in the revised draft; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: In pre-consultation on the revised draft Code of Practice for the acquisition and disclosure of communications data, under Chapter II of Part I of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, representations have been made to the Home Office by a commercial clearing house service that the revised draft Code of Practice should include an explicit reference that such a service may be used by public authorities. Those representations are being considered.

Community Support Officers

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers community support officers have; and what representations he has on increasing their powers.

Hazel Blears: A list of powers that can be designated to community support officers (CSOs) is available on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.police.homeoffice.gov.uk/community-policing/community-support-officers/
	Presently the powers designated to CSOs vary from force to force and we are currently consulting with stakeholders on whether to establish a set of standard powers that all CSOs would have. The consultation paper can be found on the Home Office website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/current-consultations/

Counter-terrorism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on EU co-operation on counter-terrorism.

Charles Clarke: The Government believe that the European Union has an important role to play in the fight against terrorism. While the prime responsibility for protection of citizens remains a national one, effective co-operation by EU member states, supported by appropriate EU bodies, is a key part of our response to this threat.
	Following the attacks in Madrid on 11 March 2004, the EU drafted an Action Plan to combat terrorism. This contained a list of measures for implementation at both an EU and national level. In the wake of the London bombings the 13 July Extraordinary JHA Council committed to accelerate delivery of outstanding proposals in the plan. This is a priority for the current UK presidency and we are on course to achieve a great deal. However, there is still much to do and the current Action Plan is due for replacement by the end of December.
	We aim to deliver a revised and refreshed plan, together with a strategic framework that would give a greater sense of direction to EU counter-terrorism co-operation. The EU will continue to build on current achievements to maximise the effectiveness of its efforts.

Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed on London Underground in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by offence.

Charles Clarke: Statistics on crime on the London Underground are not collected by the Home Office.

Crime

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) levels of and (b) detection rates for (i) violent crime, (ii) car crime, (iii) sexual crime, (iv) burglary and (v) robbery were in the Ribble Valley constituency in the last period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to the number of offences recorded for Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP), and is given in the following table. The introduction of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in May 2004 resulted in substantial changes to the sexual offences. In particular, the redefining of the offences of exposure into the sexual offences group resulted in substantial increases in this category nationally. Statistics on detections for Ribble Valley are not available.
	
		Recorded crimes in the Ribble Valley Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership: 2004–05
		
			 Offers type Number of offences 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 424 
			 Sexual offences(20) 32 
			 Robbery 5 
			 Violent crime: 461 
			   
			 Domestic burglary 139 
			   
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 54 
			 Theft from a vehicle 171 
			 Vehicle crime: 225 
		
	
	(20) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Crime

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the rates for (a) mugging, (b) violent crime and (c) burglary in each ward in the Waverley borough council area in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Crime

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the crime detection rate for offences of (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) robberies, (d) burglaries and (e) theft of a vehicle was in the constituency of Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland.

Hazel Blears: Detection rates are recorded at basic command unit (BCU) level. Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland comes within the Middlesbrough BCU and the detection rates for the crimes requested are given in the table.
	
		Detection rates in the Middlesbrough basic command unit (BCU) for 2004–05
		
			 Offence type Detection rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 Violence against the person 44 
			 Sexual offences(21) 59 
			 Robbery 16 
			 Domestic burglary 12 
			 Theft of a motor vehicle 9 
		
	
	(21) The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences.

Crime

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the 20 wards with the (a) highest and (b) lowest crime rates for (i) mugging, (ii) violent crime and (iii) burglary.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Drunkenness (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made for drunk and disorderly behaviour in Kent in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally.

Encounter Receipts Pilot Schemes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities are operating pilot schemes of encounter receipts.

Hazel Blears: We are not aware of any police authorities operating pilot schemes of encounter receipts.

Firearms Certificates

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken was by each police force to process applications for firearms certificates to police firearms licensing departments in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by police authority area.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.

Gershon Review

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made, in terms of (a) headcount reductions and (b) cost savings, in achieving the efficiency objectives set for the Department by the Gershon review.

Charles Clarke: Performance during 2004–05 was reported in my Department's Annual Report (Cm 6528); my Department's Autumn Performance Report will also describe performance against the value for money target.

Historical Sex Abuse Cases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for the training of police officers in historical sex abuse cases.

Hazel Blears: The responsibility for the training of police officers in the investigation of historical child and adult sexual abuse cases is currently held by individual police forces. However there are a number of national programmes currently being developed by the National Centre for Policing Excellence, which is a business unit of Centrex, who are the main police training provider.

Historical Sex Abuse Cases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reforms have been made in response to the Home Affairs Committee's Report on historical sex abuse investigations in 2002.

Hazel Blears: Since 2002, guidance has been issued for the police on appropriate techniques for investigating allegations of historical child abuse. This is included in the "Senior Investigating Officer's Handbook—the Investigation of Historical/Institutional Child Abuse" produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers. This handbook is now being revised and we anticipate that a new draft will be presented to the Association of Chief Police Officers for their comments in April 2006.

Historical Sex Abuse Cases

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued on the appropriate measures to be taken by agencies involved in historical sex abuse investigations to minimise the potential disruption to the alleged offender's private and professional life.

Hazel Blears: There is no guidance to the effect stated but I am confident that police officers involved in historic sex abuse investigations treat suspects with sensitivity and do whatever is .reasonable to minimise the disruption to the suspect's private and professional life. Those who are unhappy with the way they have been treated by the police have an avenue of complaint through the Chief Constable and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Hizb ut-Tahrir

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the activities of Hizb ut-Tahir in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: The activities of Hizb ut-Tahir and other extremist groups are kept under regular review. We will take action against them where it is appropriate.

Hunting Act

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) arrested and (b) prosecuted, where all proceedings are complete, under the Hunting Act 2004.

Hazel Blears: The Hunting Act 2004 came into force on 1 February 2005. The summary offences introduced under the Act are non-notifiable and as a result are not covered by the Home Office statistical collection on arrests for notifiable (recorded crime) offences. Statistics on the number of people prosecuted during 2005 will be available in autumn 2006.

Immigration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will (a) publish the results from and (b) respond to the consultation on immigration rules as they relate to ministers of religion which closed on 31 May.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 17 October 2005
	The consultation that closed on 31 May raised issues that prompted a second round of meetings with faith communities and a second phase of consultation that ended on 8 July. We have been collating and considering the responses to the consultation over the summer and we hope to make announcements shortly about the way ahead.

Institutional Abuse Investigations

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police investigations into institutional abuse have taken place since 1995; when each (a) commenced and (b) concluded; how many people have been arrested as a result of such investigations; how many complainants have been involved; how many cases have been forwarded to the Crown Prosecution Service; in how many cases charges have been brought; and what the result has been in each case where all proceedings have been completed.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not held centrally by the Home Office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information provided previously to the Home Affairs Select Committee was supplied by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

National Alcohol Strategy

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is available to implement the Government's National Alcohol Strategy.

Hazel Blears: The Government has significant funding, across several Government Departments, with specific projects in support of the National Alcohol Strategy. For example, the Home Office has funded Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaigns and the Tackling Violent Crime Programme, the Department of Health has funded an audit of treatment services and a Programme of Improvements will be supported from April. Both Departments are jointly funding the promotion of sensible drinking.
	The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England encourages the police, local authorities, primary care trusts and other groups to better utilise existing resources and powers and to encourage agencies to work together more effectively to combat alcohol harms.

National Firearms Register

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 909W, on the National Firearms Register, what progress has been made on testing the National Firearms Licensing Management System; what target date has been set for it to be available for forces to take up; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 24 October 2005
	The live (Beta) pilot of the National Firearms Licensing Management System has been rescheduled to commence on Monday 14 November 2005 for the Metropolitan police and on Monday 21 November 2005 for the Lancashire police. Both the Home Office and the Police Information Technology Organisation who are taking the project forward are committed to commencing roll-out to all forces in the new year.

Neighbourhood Watches (Kent)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to encourage the formation of neighbourhood watches in local communities in Kent.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office recognises the valuable contribution that neighbourhood watch and other watch volunteers make in the fight against crime. We encourage the formation of neighbourhood watch schemes throughout England and Wales by providing advice on how to set up and maintain a scheme and how to obtain funding. We also provide a free training package for neighbourhood watch co-ordinators and other advice and support as required, such as this year's national conference and officials' attendance at other conferences where possible.

Parliamentary Questions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the question of 7 June, from the hon. Member for Eddisbury, on the number of designated education hours lost in the Prison Service due to staff shortages.

Fiona Mactaggart: I replied to the hon. Member on 6 July 2005, Official Report, volume 436, column 542W.

Persistent Offenders

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is for tackling persistent and prolific offenders.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 19 October 2005
	The prolific and other priority offenders (PPO) strategy is at the heart of the Government's efforts to reduce crime and disorder. This strategy, which was launched by my right hon. friend the Prime Minister in March 2004, targets not only existing prolific offenders but also those young people who are on the cusp of a prolific offending lifestyle. The strategy has three strands: prevent and deter—to stop young people becoming prolific offenders; catch and convict—tackling those who are already prolific offenders; and rehabilitate and resettle—working to increase the number of offenders who stop offending by offering a range of supportive interventions.
	This multi-agency approach to offender management built on, and replaced, the previous persistent offender scheme. Since September 2004 PPO schemes have been established in each Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership area in England and each Community Safety Partnership in Wales. These schemes allow local partners, such as the police, prisons, probation and the local authority to concentrate their joint efforts on monitoring and rehabilitating the relatively small number of people who have been identified locally as causing most harm to their communities.
	Over 10,000 existing prolific offenders have been identified by schemes across England and Wales. In addition, about 4,000 young people are likely to be identified as suitable for support as part of the prevent and deter strand. An initial impact evaluation for the strategy is currently underway. Guidance for all three strands, as well as monthly performance management framework reports, can be found on the website http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/ppominisite01.htm.

Police

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been recruited in North Kent in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally by the Home Office. The breakdown of the number of recruitments into Kent police as a whole is available, and provided in the table.
	
		Police officer recruitment in Kent police
		
			 As at 31 March Full-time equivalent 
		
		
			 2005 225 
			 2004 326 
			 2003 370 
			 2002 286 
			 2001 269 
			 2000 174 
			 1999 120 
			 1998 119 
			 1997 295

Police

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will expand the strength of the Merseyside police force.

Hazel Blears: The number of police officers and staff deployed by the Merseyside police is a matter for the chief constable and the police authority to determine, subject to the budget set by the authority.
	At the end of March 2005 Merseyside police had 4,317 police officers, an increase of 195 since March 2004. The force also employed 2,114 police staff at the end of March 2005. At the end of June 2005 there were 164 community support officers. This is expected to increase to 191 by the end of March 2006.

Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to ensure, following the merger of police forces, that two seats on the new police authority will be provided for every top tier local authority within the area covered, to enable a majority party and an opposition party councillor to be appointed.

Hazel Blears: Following the recent publication of HM Inspectorate of Constabulary's report on police force structures, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has asked police authorities and chief constables to submit to him proposals for restructuring by 23 December. We will make a further announcement on the way forward, including the issue of any consequential changes to the membership of police authorities, once we have considered these proposals.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police vehicles in (a) Southend and (b) Essex were (i) purchased and (ii) hired in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: The information is not held centrally. The chief constable is responsible for the day to day operational management of the force. I am therefore sending a copy of this parliamentary question to the chief constable, so that he can respond to the question and copy his reply to me.

Racial Attacks (Gravesham)

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially motivated attacks there have been in Gravesham in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to recorded offences of racially or religiously aggravated common assault and less serious wounding. The statistics relate to the Gravesham crime and disorder reduction partnership area and are given in the tables. In the recorded crime series it is not possible to separately identify those offences which are racially or religiously aggravated. This is because at the time of recording it may not be possible for the police to determine whether the offence has a racial or religious motivation.
	
		Table 1: Recorded offences of racially or religiously aggravated assault in the Gravesham crime and disorder reduction partnership area—2000–01 and 2001–02
		
			 Number of offences 
			 Offence 2000–01 2001–02 
		
		
			 Racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding 5 10 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated common assault 8 11 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Table 2: Recorded offences of racially or religiously aggravated assault in the Gravesham crime and disorder reduction partnership area—2002–03 to 2004–05
		
			 Number of offences 
			 Offence 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 
		
		
			 Racially or religiously aggravated less serious wounding 8 8 17 
			 Racially or religiously aggravated common assault 8 7 8 
		
	
	Note:
	The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of section 15A of the Road Traffic 1988.

Paul Goggins: This section of the Road Traffic Act governs the provision of safety equipment for children in motor vehicles. We believe it serves a useful road safety purpose. Its enforcement is a matter for the police. Chief officers of police are best placed to decide on its level of priority in the light of its perceived importance, conflicting demands on police time and resources, and local circumstances.

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of section 41A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Paul Goggins: Section 41A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 as amended makes it an offence for a person not to comply with certain construction and use requirements, to use on a road a motor vehicle or trailer which does not comply with such requirements, or to cause or permit a motor vehicle or trailer to be so used. We believe the offences serve a useful road safety purpose. Their enforcement is a matter for the police, who periodically conduct roadside checks to detect those committing them. Chief officers of police are best placed to decide on the level of priority that should be given to these offences in the light of their perceived seriousness, conflicting demands on police time and resources, and local circumstances.

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of sections 22 and 22A of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Hazel Blears: These provisions make it an offence to leave a vehicle in a dangerous position and to cause danger to other road users. Their enforcement is a matter for the police. Chief officers of police are best placed to decide on the level of priority that should be given to these offences in the light of their perceived seriousness, conflicting demands on police time and resources, and local circumstances

Road Traffic Act

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of (a) section 16, (b) section 27 and (c) sections 28 and 29 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.

Hazel Blears: These provisions govern the wearing of protective headgear by motorcyclists, the keeping of dogs on a lead on designated roads and dangerous, careless and inconsiderate cycling. We believe the offences they create serve a useful road safety purpose. Their enforcement is a matter for the police. Chief officers of police are best placed to decide on the level of priority that should be given to these offences in the light of their perceived seriousness, conflicting demands on police time and resources, and local circumstances.

School of Economic Science

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on the operation of religious cults, with particular reference to the School of Economic Science.

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary recently met with the Head of INFORM (Information Network Focusing on Religious Movement) to discuss a range of issues related to cults in the UK. My right hon. Friend regards this as a serious issue and will keep the situation under review. We have not had any recent representations from the School of Economic Science, but we do share the concerns many people have on the activity of cults.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young people were admitted to secure training centres for breaking antisocial behaviour orders in each of the last six months.

Hazel Blears: Antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) breach data are currently available for period 1 June to 31 December 2003. The number of persons aged 10 to 17 who breached their ASBO (on one or more occasions) during this period is 392. Of these 392 individuals, 179 received a custodial sentence of which 30 went to custody for breach of an ASBO alone.
	We do not hold figures on individuals who having breached their orders, who were admitted to secure training centres in the last six months.

Sex Abuse (Gradual Disclosure)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated on gradual disclosure of sex abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: Matters relating to disclosure, and other investigative techniques, are an operational matter for the police. Any research on the gradual disclosure of sex abuse will inform the Association of Chief Police Officers' current consideration of the handbook for senior investigating officers which is currently being revised.

Stolen Artworks

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces in England and Wales maintain a website displaying art and artefacts stolen in their area.

Hazel Blears: We are only aware of one police force who maintain a specific website on arts and antiques—the Metropolitan Police Service. However, others do list details of stolen items on their websites, either routinely or during a particular appeal, and the items listed sometimes include arts or antiques. We do not, however, maintain a list of forces who may or may not have done this.

Under-age Offenders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 10 years would have been charged in the last 12 months if they had been over the age of criminality when they committed their misdemeanour.

Hazel Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Victims Fund

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been disbursed by the Victims Fund in (a) England and Wales and (b) the London borough of Croydon (i) in total and (ii) per head of population.

Fiona Mactaggart: £4 million additional funding over two years has been placed in the Victims Fund to support the development of services for victims of sexual offending in England and Wales. Of the 47 organisations that were awarded grant funding in the 2004–05 financial year, one organisation was based in Croydon. That organisation received £27,080. The same organisation was one of 61 organisations that successfully applied for funding in the 2005–06 financial year and was awarded an individual grant of £40,000.
	The amount of funding in total and per head of population in (a) England and Wales and (b) Croydon, based on census 2001 data for those areas is shown in the table:
	
		
			  England and Wales Croydon 
		
		
			 Total population(22) 52,041,916 330,587 
			
			 Grant funding 2004–06 (£) (23)4 million 87,080 
			 Total (£) per head(24) 7.69 26.34 
		
	
	(22) The population figures are taken from the 2001 census.
	(23) Scheme total.
	(24) Figures for the amount of funding per head of population in Croydon/England and Wales have been calculated using available/awarded funding between the 2004–05 and 2005–06 financial years and population data from the 2001 census.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Burial Records

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what guidance and regulations apply to the recording of burial details in church and chapel grounds;
	(2)  whether the guidance and regulations on the accurate record keeping of burials differs for local authority-maintained burial sites and church sites;
	(3)  whether there is a duty on churches and chapels accurately to record the names of persons buried in individual plots in church grounds.

Harriet Harman: The Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977, as amended, prescribes the registration of burials in local authority cemeteries in England and Wales. Outside such cemeteries, the registration of burials according to the rites of the Church of England is prescribed by the Parochial Registers and Records Measure 1978 while burials conducted by the Church in Wales are governed by the Welsh Church (Burial Grounds) Act 1945. The registration of other burials outside local authority cemeteries is prescribed by the Registration of Burials Act 1864. The registration process is not subject to Government guidance, but accuracy of record-keeping is implicit.

Commercial Court

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Government intends to publish its (a) analysis of the potential risk of losing commercial court business to further jurisdictions and (b) business case for the renovation of the commercial court.

Harriet Harman: To disclose the outline business case at this point in time could prejudice the Department's commercial interests.

Coroner System

Tim Boswell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on progress on reform of the coroner system.

Harriet Harman: I am currently concluding consideration of the nature and extent of reform of the coroner system, and will make a statement as soon as possible on how the Government intend to proceed.

Court Buildings (Disabled Access)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many and what percentage of court buildings are (a) fully and (b) partially accessible to disabled people who are (i) judges, (ii) court staff, (iii) members of the legal profession and (iv) members of the public; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The majority of Crown and county courts are now believed to be compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act as regards accessibility for all users. There has been some slippage with regard to works required at a small number of locations, and this is currently being addressed.
	Following on from the transfer of the Magistrates Courts Estate to HMCS on 1 April 2005, an assessment is being made of the compliance of magistrates courts with the Act and a programme will be established to remedy any shortfall..

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to her Department.

Bridget Prentice: There is no formal requirement for all new recruits to be assessed in literacy and numerical skills in my Department. However, certain posts in the magistrates courts and at Executive Grade and above may involve such tests for posts in a policy area, communications or Information Technology posts.
	General recruitment asks for administration experience or the relevant qualifications (i.e. five GCSE's or equivalent at grade C or above including English language) for admin grades or 2 A levels (and English language GCSE) for executive grades.
	My Department uses competence and job specification based recruitment which assesses candidates against the criteria in both the application form and at interview.
	In our Department, all appointees to the Senior Civil Service attend a full day assessment centre during which they undertake a two-hour written exercise. In this exercise, candidates are given a mixture of word-based evidence and numerical data to analyse and evaluate, and are assessed in relation to their ability to build a constructive argument from the data provided.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of her Department.

Bridget Prentice: Testing for literacy and numeracy is available for all staff on demand through the "Skills for Life" initiative and is widely advertised during our annual Learning At Work Weeks. Staff can undertake written or computerised tests.
	My Department has undertaken to fund any training identified to improve individual members of staffs literacy and/or numeracy levels resulting from the tests and has worked with local colleges and Union Learning Representatives to address those needs.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will bring forward legislation to allow electoral registration officers to consult central Government databases in order to maximise registration.

Harriet Harman: We are currently considering whether the sources of data available to electoral registration officers (EROs) should be broadened, taking into account any data protection implications, to help EROs carry out their duties. Under the Representation of the People Regulations 2001, EROs have access to the records of the local authority that appointed them and the registrar of births, marriages and deaths for the purpose of their registration duties.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  how much was raised from each local authority from the sale of electoral registers in each of the past 10 years, listed in descending order according to the greatest cumulative total;
	(2)  how many electoral registration staff in each local authority area have a recognised national certificate or diploma; and what plans she has to encourage electoral registration staff to study for qualification;
	(3)  if she will list the local authorities that (a) do and (b) do not (i) design their own form A, (ii) use personal canvassers to produce electoral registers, (iii) carry out training sessions for new canvassers, (iv) split canvas areas into smaller areas, (v) use electoral registration calling cards if a householder is out when a canvasser visits, (vi) have payment by result systems for canvassers, (vii) use the telephone to contact non-responding households, (viii) send an enforcement letter at the end of the registration period, (ix) prosecute non-responders, (x) liaise with (A) council tax and (B) housing departments, (xi) work in consortia of other local authorities to increase registration and (xii) use anonymous registration;
	(4)  if she will list local authorities that (a) do and (b) do not give turnout targets for their electoral registration departments as part of their corporate policy goals;
	(5)  if she will list the local authorities that (a) use and (b) do not use doorstep canvassers to compile their electoral registers;
	(6)  what the mean number of days before an election has been that (a) polling cards and (b) postal ballots were received by electors in each (i) local election and (ii) general election since 1997;
	(7)  if she will list local authorities that use temporary staff for electoral registration purposes;
	(8)  how much was spent per election on electoral registration in each local authority in the last year for which figures are available;
	(9)  which electoral registration officers (a) use and (b) do not use local government databases when drawing up electoral registers.

Harriet Harman: Electoral services are delivered by local electoral registration officers and returning officers. The information sought is held by individual local authorities, and is not collected by central Government.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the level of available funding on an electoral registration officer's ability to produce an accurate register;
	(2)  whether electoral registration officers may request additional resources from their local authority to carry out a house-to-house or other inquiry to produce an accurate register of electors.

Harriet Harman: Electoral registration officers are funded by the local authority that appointed them and decisions on funding for electoral registration are for local authorities. The performance standards provisions in the Electoral Administration Bill will help to ensure that there is greater transparency in the information that is available about the funding of electoral registration.
	The Electoral Administration Bill includes a new duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to ensure comprehensive registers. Those steps include the following specific measures:
	(a) Sending the canvass form more than once to any address;
	(b) Making house to house inquires on more than one occasion;
	(c) Making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register;
	(d) Inspecting any records held by any person which the registration officer is permitted to inspect; and
	(e) Providing training to others carrying out the duty.
	As with all of the measures in the Electoral Administration Bill, we will be providing local authorities with additional funding to ensure that electoral registration officers have the necessary resources to carry out their new duty.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on central Government advertising on (a) registration and (b) encouraging people to vote in each of the past 10 years.

Harriet Harman: Since 2001, the Electoral Commission has been responsible for promoting public awareness of current electoral systems and encouraging people to participate in elections. The information sought in relation to central Government prior to 2001 is not available.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent on publicising (a) local and (b) general elections in each local authority area (i) in total and (ii) per head of population in each election since 1997.

Harriet Harman: The information is not collected by central Government. Since 2001, the Electoral Commission has been responsible for promoting public awareness of current electoral systems and systems of local and national Government.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures her Department has taken to encourage electoral registration officers to cross-reference local government databases to enhance electoral registers.

Harriet Harman: Guidance to electoral registration officers is issued by the Electoral Commission. The Commission issued guidance on use of other council records by electoral registration officers in their circular number 19 of 2005.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many electors in each constituency in the UK have dual registration on electoral registers; and what measures are in place to prevent double voting.

Harriet Harman: It is possible for certain categories of electors who spend their time equally between two addresses to be lawfully registered at more than one address. Information is not collected on the number of such persons registered. It is an offence for any person to vote more than once in a general election. Individual Returning Officers are responsible for ensuring that elections are conducted in accordance with the requirements of electoral law. The presiding officer at a polling station, acting under the direction of the Returning Officer, may ask a person applying for a ballot paper if they have already voted at the election, if it is suspected that the voter is attempting to vote more than once at the election. A ballot paper shall not be given to any person required to answer the above question unless they have answered it satisfactorily.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will publish the guidelines the Home Office issued to electoral registration officers on house visits for electors who failed to register.

Harriet Harman: The Home Office ceased to have any responsibility for electoral matters in June 2001. Guidance to electoral registration officers is now issued by the independent Electoral Commission. The Commission's most recent guidance on administering the annual canvass of electors was published in their circular number 16 of 2005. The Electoral Administration Bill, introduced on 11 October, includes a new duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to ensure comprehensive registers. Those steps include the following specific measures:
	(a) Sending the canvass form more than once to any address;
	(b) Making house to house inquires on more than one occasion;
	(c) Making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to standardise electoral registration forms.

Harriet Harman: Section 10(4) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 provides that the form electoral registration officers must use for the annual canvass is to be that provided in regulations, or a form to the same effect. In England and Wales, the current form is prescribed in the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (England and Wales) Regulations 2004.
	There is no prescribed form in relation to applications for registration outside of the annual canvass, but such 'rolling registration' applications must provide the information set out in regulation 26 of the Representation of the People (England and Wales) Regulations 2001.
	My Department is currently undertaking a project to evaluate the extent to which an improved prescribed canvass form might make the registration process simpler for electors, and whether other electoral forms might also benefit from greater standardisation. Any regulations arising from this project are likely to be made during 2006.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidelines have been issued on follow-up procedures to be used by electoral registration officers for individuals who have failed to register; whether she plans to reform these guidelines; and if she will introduce a duty on local authority canvassers to visit electors who fail to register.

Harriet Harman: Guidance to electoral registration officers is issued by the independent Electoral Commission. The Commission's most recent guidance on administering the annual canvass of electors was published in their circular number 16 of 2005. The Electoral Administration Bill, introduced on 11 October, includes a new duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to ensure comprehensive registers. Those steps include the following specific measures:
	(a) Sending the canvass form more than once to any address;
	(b) Making house to house inquires on more than one occasion;
	(c) Making contact by such other means as the registration officer thinks appropriate with persons who do not have an entry in a register.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether she expects the boundary commission to take account of the number of non-registered voters when redrawing new constituency boundaries.

Harriet Harman: In accordance with the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, the boundary commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland base their recommendations on the number of electors on the register in force on the date that the review is announced.

Electoral Registration

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment the Department has made of the main reasons for non-registration of voters.

Harriet Harman: The Electoral Commission's recent report, "Understanding Electoral Registration: the extent and nature of non-registration in Britain" examines these issues in some depth. The research identified that the majority of non-registrants in 2000 came from three groups; those living with their parents (particularly attainers), people who have moved within the six months prior to the qualifying date, and people renting from a private landlord. The research highlighted the importance of people's individual and household situation and attitudes towards politics and voting. There was also a link between the presence and actions of the head of the household and non-registration.

EU Document COM (2005) 172

William Cash: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy on the European Commission document COM (2005) 172.

Bridget Prentice: My colleague Baroness Ashton of Upholland submitted an explanatory memorandum on 14 July 2005 that sets out the Government position.

House of Lords

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to bring forward legislation to change the powers of the House of Lords; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government intend to continue with the reform of the House of Lords to create an effective legitimate Chamber while maintaining the primacy of the House of Commons, as set out in its manifesto.
	The Government are seeking the co-operation of other parties in setting up a Joint Committee of both Houses to review the conventions of the Lords and developing alternative forms of scrutiny. The Government are committed to seek to legislate to place reasonable limits on the time Bills spend in the second Chamber so they cannot become bogged down in procedural stratagems.

Immigration/Asylum

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list lawyers in England and Wales who carry out pro bono immigration and asylum legal aid work.

Bridget Prentice: Details of all solicitors across England and Wales that provide publicly funded legal services for asylum and immigration matters and meet the Community Legal Services quality standard are available through the Community Legal Service Direct website at www.clsdirect.org.uk. The website also lists all advice agencies and information providers that meet this standard.

Legal Aid

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs by how much funding for criminal legal aid has changed in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I refer the hon. Gentleman for Hemel Hempstead to the answer I gave, on 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 894W to the hon. Gentleman for Kettering, (Mr. Hollobone).

Legal Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what percentage of solicitors' firms who were offered civil legal aid contracts refused them in each of the last five years, broken down by county; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission do not keep records of firms which refuse offers of a contract, only the changes in numbers for each year.

Legal Aid

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what allocation has been made for the funding of legal aid in criminal cases in each of the next five years.

Bridget Prentice: There is no specific allocation of funding for criminal legal aid for the next five years. Funding for the Criminal Defence Service forms part of the total funding available for all legal aid (excluding asylum, which is part of the single asylum fund). The resource budget for legal aid is set for three years at each Spending Review and these stand at £1,825 million, £1,872 million and, £1,920 million for years 2005–06 to 2007–08 respectively.

Postal Voting

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidelines her Department has given to electoral registration offices on the timing of the despatch of postal ballots; and whether she plans to change this advice.

Harriet Harman: Guidance to electoral administrators is issued by the Electoral Commission. The Commission issued a comprehensive set of guidance materials at the most recent general election which included advice on the despatch of postal ballot papers.

Residential Homes (Abuse)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much in public funds has been spent in funding civil actions arising out of abuse in care homes and residential schools since 1995.

Bridget Prentice: Child abuse certificates are not identified separately in the Legal Services Commission's computerised records. The Commission can provide figures calculated from its records of specific, identified group actions only, where a number of parties wish to bring very similar actions against a single person. The cost of stand-alone, individual cases cannot be calculated.
	Net expenditure on identified group actions related to child abuse for the financial years 2000–01 to 2004–05 were as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 1.4 
			 2001–02 1.9 
			 2002–03 1.5 
			 2003–04 0.5 
			 2004–05 (25)-1.0 
		
	
	(25) net recovery of costs
	The Commission is not able to provide comprehensive information prior to 2000.

Travellers' Hotline

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on legal advice hotlines for Travellers.

Bridget Prentice: The Community Law Partnership, a legal practice based in Birmingham provides the only publicly funded telephone advice line specifically focused on Travellers. For details of the scope and funding of this service, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 September 2005, Official Report, column 2249W to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman).

Voter Registration

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what is her policy on using national insurance numbers in relation to voter registration; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: The Government currently has no plans to implement the collection of national insurance numbers in voter registration outside of Northern Ireland. This is in line with recommendations made by the Electoral Commission and in the joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee report, "Electoral Registration".
	The Electoral Administration Bill, currently before Parliament, provides for the piloting and possible subsequent national rollout of the collection of 'personal identifiers' at the point at which a person registers to vote. These identifiers are specified at clause 14 as a signature, date of birth and such other information relating to an individual as is prescribed. Although this power to prescribe further identifiers is wide enough to provide for the collection of national insurance numbers, the Government does not intend to move forward in this way.